Talking About Anything - Fire Emblem Fates: Devastation
by 017Bluefield
Summary: [Open to Requests] In which Bluefield and his mentees talk about fighting, happiness, food, and various other matters with various characters in the world of Fire Emblem Fates. A series of Fire Emblem Fates: Revelation/Project Bluefield a.12 drabbles (whatever that means). Reviews are appreciated!
1. How Do I Talk About This?

**Author's Note** : Welcome, welcome, welcome! Come inside, kick off your shoes, crash on the couch, have a soda! (Well, _I_ don't have 'em on me, but nevermind.) Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to _**Talking About Anything - Fire Emblem Fates**_!

So, with _Fire Emblem Fates_ (I just said that) unleashed upon us—with its good and bad parts (I'll talk about _that_ later)—I figured: Why the hell not? This does present some opportunities to play with the _Fates_ "sandbox". So, here we are!

Hope you enjoy! :D

 **EDIT (9/28)** : Added character information for the OCs at the bottom.

 _ **Warning** : Future chapters may include language, dark themes, some graphic descriptions, and other things that likely aren't safe for anybody below teenage…er, age (example for non-US citizens: in the US, you're considered a teenager when you are 13 years old). This won't happen _too _often. Maybe. Just letting you know where this might go in future._

* * *

"How Do I Talk About _This?_ "

Trey

Commercial District (West), Fort Devas, Astral Plane

* * *

After letting the waves below lap at the posts of the platform—earthen ground and all—she spoke again.

"S-So, you…have a sister, too?"

I stopped. Then I squinted because the setting sun was a bit bright in my eyes. "Uh, yeah," I replied, picking up the crate again, "but…it's more like I… _had_ a sister. And I didn't know I even _had_ one until after she…well…"

"O-Oh… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to—"

"Oh, no no no!" I said quickly. "It's not a problem at all! You didn't dredge up any bad memories." _Seeing as I don't have the same excuse as Kamui did,_ I thought as I set the crate down next to the rod store. _Okay, that's everything._ "Although…"

Sakura looked back at me. "Hm?"

I turned around, walked a few steps south of the store, stopped near the west edge of the platform, and looked over at my 1 o'clock. "…I wish I could get her advice on _that_."

The youngest princess of Hoshido followed me, then my gaze. "Ah…yes, there _is_ that."

(Don't worry, Trey'll talk about Natalise. _Please_ be patient. —Blu)

While we had been busy helping Kamui with neutralizing both factions across the Fields of Hoshido, something strange happened in the Astral Plane. At Kamui's new castle, a bunch of loud noises had awoken Lilith from a well-deserved rest. Upon floating our of her temple, she was shocked to find that a great swath of the Nestrian-style fort grounds had been completely ripped away, from east to west, and strewn into the ocean's grey waves below.

Needless to say, she was extremely bewildered by this.

And evidently, so were the people stationed in the freaking _offshore platform_ that had "passed through" the castle's front yard.

Weirdly enough, the incident had given Kamui an _idea_ , of all things. After meeting the people on the platform, he decided to give his castle the name "Fort Devas". The first reason for this was that Kamui intended to make the place a "common ground" for both sides—both royal families included. The second reason, on the other hand, was actually rather hilarious in retrospect. It was basically taking the name of the offshore platform that had wrecked the fort in the first place.

It was going to be confusing, sending messages from "Fort Devas" to "Deva Station" and back again.

Yeah, that is indeed the name that was given to the plat.

When we weren't busy learning the truth about our enemy down below, or getting a hostile reception at Fort Jinya (which I found particularly jarring, compared to last time), we were busy rebuilding from the destruction. Thankfully, Deva Station provided Kamui with some personnel and resources to both reconstruct and reinforce the prince's own offshore platform-esque castle. He'd already taken care of the center platform—which had grown in size—as well as most of the remaining grounds…

Ugh, I really don't know how to describe "platforms that also have dirt on top".

Anyway, Bluefield had traveled over to Deva Station again, to assess any damage it might've sustained before finally stopping some stone's throws west from Fort Devas. He'd said he'd be back after at least 2 hours, so for the rest of the day, Dreyza assigned the rest of us Wolves to help Kamui and Felicia with consolidating the "army's" remaining assets.

Luckily, Kamui's private treehouse, Lilith's temple, and the library had been untouched, so we didn't have to worry about fishing out beds or books out of the blue. However, other areas weren't so lucky. Example: Sakura, Hana and I were gathering up the scattered wares from the nearby rod store, which now had a cracked-open storeroom and wrecked roof. Only a third of its wares were above sea level and were easily retrieved, and even then, some of the rods and vulneraries had been smashed up (as we'd discover later). We'd probably need to get help from a supplier for restocking. (Fortunately, Subaki was gonna take inventory as soon as he possibly could.)

 _Ring-ring! Ring-ring!_

That sound made us turn around from the sight of Deva Station on the horizon.

Drifting up to us on his black bicycle, an icebox mounted on the back rack, was Kyoku, our resident cynical Zero. On refreshment delivery.

"Hello, Princess," he said before nodding to me. "Hey, Trey."

"Uh, h-hello." "Hey."

Engaging the kickstand, Kyoku dismounted before stepping to the icebox and opening the lid. "You've gotten a lot done," he commented, nodding towards the crates. "How many did you gather up?"

"10 crates of rods, 7 crates of vulneraries, 3 of tonics." I shrugged. "We haven't applied a crowbar to them yet, so no telling where we stand on actually usable inventory." Kyoku handed me a can of Coca-Cola. "Thanks."

"Anytime. What about you, Your Highness? Would you like a carbonated soft drink?"

"O-Oh! uhm, al-all right…" Sakura took the second can from him. "Ah! It's cold."

Kyoku shrugged. "Yeah, well, soda tastes best when kept chilled. And when the consumer is sweating under the sun. Speaking of under the sun," he looked around, brow furrowed, "where's Hana? I thought she was gonna help you today, Princess."

"I-I asked her to check the northwest for any of the s-scattered inventory," she replied, a little meekly. I wouldn't blame her, though. Kyoku's grumpiness could be scary, even if he didn't mean to. "Y-You must've passed her on the way here."

"Huh." Kyoku shut and locked the icebox. "Guess I'm becoming more like the idiot that Bluefield is if I missed your friend."

"Kyoku," I said.

He looked at me as he mounted his bike again. Then he sighed. "…Right, sorry, man." _Click,_ went the kickstand. "Alright, I'll let Dreyza know how far you've gotten. Thanks for your custom, enjoy your sodas. And _don't litter._ I'm _not_ dealing with a damn landfill, okay?"

"Y-Yes, sir!" "Sure thing."

Kyoku nodded. "All right, thanks." And with that, he was off.

 _KSHHHT—!_ I looked over to Sakura. "…Uh, you open it by pulling the tab towards here."

"O-Oh, uh, thank you." _KSHHHT—!_

Putting one hand under the can—holding it like a Hoshidan tea cup—she took a sip, and her eyes brightened up in surprise.

"It's…sharp," she muttered, "but…also sweet…"

"Do you…like it?"

She took another sip. "Hm… It might take a while to get used to it. But it's not bad."

I nodded as I sat down on the ground, with Deva Station far away in the distance.

Sakura followed suit, a safe distance from my right.

 _This…feels so strange,_ I thought.

"…d-does Kyoku have something against Bluefield?"

I looked at her. "Uh, well…Kyoku's been bitter that his big sister is dead and that Bluefield isn't. He's getting over it, though. But…the thing he hates more is the legacy that his—" I stopped, then used air quotes. "'legacy'—his sister left him."

"I-I see…"

"Me, on the other hand, I…well…" I raised my hands in slight exasperation, at a loss for words. "I don't know what to think of _my_ sister. I mean, I _do_ want to know about her and all, and Bluefield told me everything he could, and yet…I feel like I don't know what I'd do if I met her if she was alive."

"Why?" Sakura looked rather concerned. "Was she horrible?"

I shook my head. "No, not really. She was jaded, sure, but also compassionate. Of course, being the Zero of Death, compassion doesn't equate to being nice. Many people made that same mistake, and fell to her scythe for it. In fact, if she were alive right now, she'd make the Nohrian army look _tame_ in comparison."

"She'd…be worse than…?!" Sakura was so surprised, she couldn't finish that exclamation.

I nodded. "Yeah. But the weird thing is, she'd always do a bit of _good_ here and there, as well. Especially when she had to work alongside…I'd suppose you'd call them 'antagonists'. She'd drop a coin into an orphan's hands. She'd drive off bandits who'd harass bystanders, no matter where they stand in society. She'd sabotage one or two pursuit vehicles before she had to partake in the upcoming chase. She didn't want to fight for the bad guys, and she never hated the people she fought. Especially not Bluefield."

I wasn't looking at Sakura now. I didn't see her expression.

"She was probably the most frightening Zero you'd ever encounter…and she'd go out of her to do a little good every now and again. Even if it would never matter…"

"T-Trey, are you…crying?"

"…huh?"

Soda forgotten, I reached up to my cheek. Something wet.

"…heh…it happened again." I chuckled in spite of myself. "You know, I haven't always been able to tell when I'm crying. Dunno why. At least, I think it helped this time."

"Wh-What do you mean? The crying?"

"No," I said before looking back up at her. "Talking about it with someOne."

 _KREEEEE!_

The dragon's distant roar got our attention. We turned back to face Deva Station.

Against the sunset, a moving blotch of shadow flew away from the offshore platform, and towards Kamui's damaged bastion. I could see more details as it came closer. Long neck. The reptilian wings. Four legs. The people riding behind the wing joints.

"Is that…?" Sakura said, awed.

"Bluefield." I stood up, offered my hand to her, and, after she got to her feet, grabbed my soda. "Come on, let's meet his new acquaintances."

* * *

"…walked a few steps south of the store…"/"…completely ripped away, from east to west…" - As the Astral Plane appears to lack anything resembling a "planetary polarity", we're using the main castle in the back of Fort Deva (top of the map screen) as the pointer for north (if you were to stand in the center of the fort grounds). —Blu

"…from Fort Devas to Deva Station and back again…" - If the Wolves' previous record missions could be summarized by the words _Retaliation_ and _Revolution_ , then _this_ mission—by nature of its circumstances and unforeseen factors—could be described as _Devastation_. Is this a coincidence? —Vaire

* …Vaire? —Blu

* Yes? —Vaire

* Didn't I tell you two to _**freak**_ off? —Blu

* …As you wish. —Vaire

* That said… _Fire Emblem Fates: Devastation_ …fitting, don't you think? —?

"…getting a hostile reception at Fort Jinya (which I found particularly jarring, compared to last time)…" - Right, I forgot: you didn't attack Fort Jinya with Dreyza, did you? —Skulden

"…we were busy rebuilding from the destruction…" - Let me elaborate: before we arrived at this castle, an unknown event altered the nature of the Dragon Veins in the Astral Plane—more specifically, anything within 500 kilometers of Fort Devas. This event occurred somewhere between Kamui's first departure from this plane (i.e. before Rinkah "said hi again") and his second arrival about two weeks later (i.e. after both sides went full moron). It's possible that the unknown event was Deva Station showing up—something _no_ One and _no_ Zero saw coming—but I have my doubts. —Blu

"…Kamui's private treehouse, Lilith's temple, and the library…" - Add to the list of Things that weren't saved: food and ore harvesting sites (albeit temporarily). —Kyoku

"…she'd make the Nohrian army look _tame_ in comparison." - As long as you didn't piss her off, you'd be able to have a constructive discussion with her. And from my experience with her, she's among the few individuals whom I can safely say are logically sound. If you _did_ piss her off, though…well, you likely wouldn't be reading these words by now. —Blu

"The people riding behind the wing joints." - That was kinda surprising, actually. —Burna

* Really? Why? —Blu

* You hardly ever give strangers a ride on dragonback. Let alone other SAF soldiers. —Burna

* Ah, right. I guess part of me wanted to mess with them? A little? —Blu

* Okay, _that_ I _might_ be able to picture. —Burna

* * *

 _ **50 72 6f 6a 65 63 74 20 42 6c 75 65 66 69 65 6c 64 20 61 2e 32 30 31 32**_

* * *

 _ **Information:**_

There are currently 5 Zeros—"those who do not exist"—active during 2016. They are listed below:

* * *

 **017 "Bluefield"** , also known as "Blu" to his colleagues and friends, is the advisor of the Ashen Wolves, a squad consisting of the only five Zeros in existence. A reluctant individual, he sees the Ashen Wolves as a second chance to make up for a past failure.

Appearing as a 21-year-old thin caucasian/Japanese-American male, Bluefield has inch-long brown hair and brown eyes—at least, the left eye is brown. His right eye is actually a shade of blue, but turns red in certain situations. He also wears a pair of thin glasses. Blu is often seen in his favorite grey jacket, and he tends to wear brand shirts (e.g. Quiksilver), long cargo pants (or cargo shorts that cover the knees), sneakers, and (occasionally) fingerless gloves. He is also known to carry around a backpack.

Bluefield's first weapon, the ZeroSword, is a katana; Bluefield's body—specifically, the area where the human heart should be—acts as its sheath. His second weapon, the ZeroHand, is a grey sleeve-and-glove combination that replaces Blu's right arm. It has various forms, including a paw-like thing with blade-like fingers that double as a buzz saw on a wire ("Ursa Blades"), and an undulating mass of water ("Extension Flood"). He also carries either a FN Five-SeveN pistol or a USP .45 w/ tactical knife. Some of Blu's abilities include (but are not limited to) the power to "rush through time", "bullet time" during combat, and the ability to transform into a dragon.

Miscellaneous:

Currently likes: alone time, anime, the color #005075, computers, Japan, Japanese food, his iPod, jokes (well, some), listening to music (e.g. soundtracks), philosophy, pockets, reading, staying up late, video games (both good— _Kingdom Hearts II_ , _Xenoblade Chronicles_ —and interesting— _Dark Sector_ , _MagnaCarta II_ ), walking, writing, YouTube (e.g. Extra Credits, Markiplier, Matimi0, theRadBrad, TotalBiscuit, RWBY).

Currently dislikes: being bothered for paltry reasons, the F-word, game developers that try to censor opinions, the idea of getting his stuff soaked, hypnosis, jokes that he'll misconstrue (e.g. parody, tongue-in-cheek), Konami (not to a rabid degree), losing contact of others, playing the part of a god, snooty folks, spinach, "taking the lead", tea.

Currently hates: heights (acrophobia), himself (probably due to PTSD).

Plays drums.

* * *

 **017-R "Dreyza"** is the leader of the Ashen Wolves. Recently discovered to be Bluefield's sister (it's complicated), this determined young woman quickly proved herself as a capable swordfighter and leader for a group of nobodies. Though she understands Bluefield's reluctance to lead the most, she still looks up to him as a brother and senior Zero.

Appearing as a 17-year-old "Japanese-American" girl, Dreyza shares Bluefield's brown hair and eyes. Her hair features an asymmetrical braid, but is otherwise cut "boyishly" short. Her eyes, on the other hand, mirror Bluefield's: brown for the right, blue/red for the left. Her wardrobe mainly consists of jackets, T-shirts, jeans and other pants, and footwear that includes sneakers and mid-lower-leg-high boots. Hates carrying purses.

Dreyza's weapon is a katana known as the Glint Sword; just like her brother and _his_ sword, her body is the sheath for this weapon. She also carries a USP .45 handgun. Some of Dreyza's abilities include (but are not limited to) accelerated reaction time, inhuman agility, and the ability to transform into a dragon.

Miscellaneous:

Currently likes: anime, culture, dragons, having a living sibling, iced coffee, movies (e.g. _Princess Mononoke_ ), music, poking fun, reading, singing, snark, video games (e.g. _Portal 2_ ), YouTube.

Currently dislikes: being the only sibling with a living sibling, isolation, makeup, overly-popular memes, tyranny.

Plays guitar + vocals.

* * *

 **016-R "Vespyr"** is the designated gunner of the Ashen Wolves. Recently discovered to be the sister of one of Bluefield's late squadmates (it's complicated), this mischievous young woman proved herself to be the best of the current Zeros in terms of handgun application in combat situations. Though more cheerful than her elder brother, she can get scary when necessary—enough to make a buff dude back off and run away.

Appearing as a 17-year-old "British" woman, Vespyr has wild, inch-long, dirty-blond hair. She also has green-and-yellow-and-orange eyes (think a faint orange-and-yellow flower against a backdrop of light green), and slightly dark skin. Her wardrobe includes T-shirts and long-sleeves, super-effective "magic skirts" and jeans, sneakers and boots. Doesn't like purses.

Vespyr's weapon is the Glint Magnum; it is stored in her head (yes, think of _Persona 3_ ). Some of her abilities include (but are not limited to) "bullet time", "weak point detection", and the ability to transform into a gryphon.

Miscellaneous:

Currently likes: being a foil to/messing with Kyoku, coffee, flying, jokes, lampshade hanging, movies (e.g. _The Princess Bride_ , _Star Wars_ series), teasing Dreyza, video games (e.g. _Nidhogg_ ).

Currently dislikes: bigotry, disrespect (not to people), fops, makeup, negative parts of society, tea (I know— _blasphemy!_ ).

Plays guitar or violin.

* * *

 **015-R "Kyoku"** (no, not as in the Japanese word for "song") is the reconnaissance expert and medic of the Ashen Wolves. Recently discovered to be the brother of Bluefield's squad leader (it's complicated), this cynical young man found his "mickle might" (not sure what that means) with the bladebow, a lethal weapon at all ranges. Kyoku tends to mope about other things—namely, his sister's legacy—even when Dreyza and Bluefield reassure him that he needn't bother with such things.

Despite his "heritage" as a 17-year-old "Japanese" male, Kyoku speaks with a noticeable Cockney accent (as opposed to Vespyr's Estuary). He has short black hair and dark-brown eyes. Kyoku tends to wear a down vest (Uniqlo brand) over a long-sleeve shirt. His wardrobe also consists of light pants, multipurpose shoes, and fingerless gloves.

Kyoku's weapon is the Glint Bladebow, which is stored in his forehead. Some of Kyoku's abilities include (but are not limited to) "bullet time", enhanced vertical leaping, and the ability to transform into a pair of _shīsā_ ("lion dog" from Okinawan mythology).

Miscellaneous:

Currently likes: anime, basketball, horror, music, reconnaissance, YouTube.

Currently dislikes: alcohol, Bluefield, bubbly personalities, disrespect (not to people), overly-popular memes, s**t that "tastes like diabetes".

Plays piano.

* * *

 **013-R "Trey"** is the youngest member of the Ashen Wolves. Recently discovered to be the brother of a rival Zero squad leader (it's complicated), this uncertain young man quickly found his best weapon in a gardening tool—also known as the scythe. He reminds Bluefield of himself in the past—part of the reason that he and Dreyza decided to take him under their wings.

Despite his "heritage" as a 16-year-old "British" individual, Trey speaks with an accent that one could easily mistake for American. He has messy, inch-long jet-black hair, and poison-green eyes. Trey's wardrobe includes T-shirts, jeans, sneakers, and jackets, among a few things.

Trey's weapon is the Glint Scythe, which is stored in the side of his neck. He also carries a USP .45 pistol. Some of Trey's abilities include (but are not limited to) accelerated perception and reaction time during combat, and the ability to transform into a [ Information Redacted ].

Miscellaneous:

Currently likes: anime, history, ice cream, reading, video games (e.g. _Final Fantasy X_ , _Xenoblade Chronicles_ ), walking.

Currently dislikes: arguing, death (ironic), fighting, losing someOne, isolation, "reaping".

Plays guitar + vocals.

The "main character", as it were, in this timeframe.

* * *

And that's drabble number 1! How did I do? Was it good? Was it bad? Did I screw up? Please leave a review, minus the flames. (EDIT: Also, I hope the information about the Zeros helps clear some stuff up.) Other than that, have a nice day! :D

—017Bluefield


	2. Self-Deprication and A Loaf of Bread

**Author's Note** : Not too sure if I did this right… If you want to, let me know if I can do this better, and how.

* * *

"Self-Deprication and A Loaf of Bread"

Bluefield

Residential District (North), Fort Devas, Astral Plane

* * *

It was overcast, but the late-morning "astral sun" kept burning, kept beaming through the clouds like god rays.

I was holding a loaf of bread in my left hand. I needed to sit somewhere to eat it, so I did the natural thing.

"Mind if I sit here?" I asked.

Surprised, Kamui looked up at me from the castle's stone steps.

The ivory in his once-pure-ebony hair was slowly creeping outward—a memento of his mother, slowly fading as the present took center stage. I noticed that his back was still without its cape—then I mentally kicked myself for forgetting that _he'd asked Trey_ to help him get it off.

"Oh, uh, sure," he replied. "Go ahead." He gestured to the empty step on his left.

Obliging, I sat down beside the exile prince. "Ahhh…"

I was holding a loaf of bread in my left hand. I figured I'd share it, so I did the natural thing.

"…huh?" Kamui did a double-take and the chunk I'd ripped off the loaf.

"C'mon," I said. "You didn't eat much for breakfast, right? Not smart." _Especially when the consequences of your actions are finally fully dawning on you,_ I added mentally.

"Well, you didn't have to…" Then he gave up. "…Thank you, Bluefield."

I shrugged. "Mmm-mmm."

I was holding a loaf of bread in my left hand. I was still hungry, so I did the natural thing.

So _please_ lay off my lack of etiquette, will you?

As soon as I was done with the little chunk I'd consumed, I looked back out over the fort grounds. I made a face. "…Y'know, I dunno _why_ this irks me," I said.

Kamui looked at me. "What does?"

I gestured forward, toward the somewhat dark grounds and the god rays cast everywhere except here. "This. Maybe it's because I like it when it's bright enough, not more. Maybe it's because I'm an indoors individual. Maybe it's because I prefer just cloudy over also sunny." I shrugged again. "I'm not exactly sure. Then again, I haven't exactly _been_ sure lately."

"Well, it's a first for myself," Kamui responded. "And, well, I find it to be rather beautiful."

I looked at him. "What makes you say that?"

The dragon prince swept his hand. "The contrasting elements associated with Hoshido and Nohr, mixed like this. It's…poignant, I'm sure that's the word, but also…"

"Ah… I see what you mean. Well, to each their own." I tore off another small chunk of bread and started munching again.

It took me a few seconds to realize that Kamui was staring at me. When I did, I turned to look at him.

"…What is it now?" I asked.

"Oh, no, it's just…well…I was just thinking about how different you are from Xander and Prince Ryoma."

I was holding a loaf of bread in my left hand. My right hand wasn't holding anything, so I did the natural thing.

I reached over.

"I see." _Biff._

"Ow!" Kamui held the back of his head, mildly indignant.

I laughed. "Pffft-ha-ha-ha! _Aaaaaand_ I just signed my own death warrant with the two biggest kingdoms of your world. So, good job with that, Bluefield the idiot!" Then I sighed, then ripped another chunk off. "Ahhhhhh… Yeah, I suppose you're right about that."

"No, you didn't—" Then he stopped. "Huh?"

"Well, for starters, I'm not leadership material. I'm _certainly_ not leadership material capable of leading an entire freaking _kingdom_. But your elder brothers certainly are." I started counting on the fingers of my right hand. "Le'see what else: _they've_ been trained in the blade for their entire lives, they are wiser in matters of politics _crap_ —pardon my language—I don't look as good as they do, they smell better, they're more humane, they don't have to live on any form of life support, they never use strong language…eh…"

Kamui cut in, his half of the loaf significantly smaller. "Can you—Can you stop that? Please?"

I looked at him again. The guy looked pained, as if he'd overheard someOne insulting his friends.

Ah. Right.

"Uh, sorry," I muttered. I had about two chunks' worth of bread left now.

"I wasn't talking about your shortcomings, anyway," Kamui went on. "You have some positive points, too."

Propping my right arm atop my knee, I gave him a skeptical look. "You sure about that?"

"Yes!" I don't know how he was exasperated with me already, but he was. He stuffed the (rather small) final chunk of his loaf in his mouth, chewed and swallowed, then started ticking off points from his fingers. "Let's see: you're funny; you always take the first hit before your teammates; you're resourceful in battle—I wouldn't have thought to cause a _cave-in_ , and I don't think they would have either—you fight for people when it doesn't always benefit you; you try to be honest, even if you tend to be brutal about it; you—"

"Heh, okay, okay!" I was smiling despite myself. "Good _grief_ , I give, I give! I call uncle! Just stop…!"

Sighing, I stuffed the last bit of bread in my hand into my face. _Om nom nom._

"…Well, I think that should for nourishment. For now." I scoffed. "I bet if Jakob heard that, he'd _seriously_ disagree with me."

Kamui laughed. "I'm sure he would, ten times over!"

I was no longer holding a loaf of bread in my left hand. So I did the natural thing.

"All right, I'd better find something to do that doesn't involve killing monsters. Yet." I stood up, but before wandering off… "See ya 'round?"

"Oh, uh, sure! Of course."

…Well, _that_ wasn't awkward at all.

* * *

"astral sun" - Shorthand for "Sun of the Astral Plane". Because they both make sense. —Blu

"The ivory in his once-pure-ebony hair…" - First, you lose your real mother. Next, you turn into a feral dragon out of grief. Then, you remember your forgotten past from a…I don't think he suffered a fugue state, but I _could_ be _very_ wrong. Anyway, Kamui's gone through a lot of sh*t in the span of a freaking hour. I was kinda worried he'd start going like Princess Corrin [of Nohr], but luckily, that hadn't been the case. —Dreyza

* BTW, why did Kamui's hair start turning white? It kinda reminds me of when we met Dysren in Ylisse. —Trey

* Who knows… —Blu

"…that _he'd asked Trey_ to help him get it off." - Do we really need to spell out _why_ again? —Kyoku

* Jerkass has a point, I suppose. —Dreyza

"…I don't look as good as they do…" - A truth that doesn't count for sh*t on the battlefield, thankfully. —Burna

"…I wouldn't have thought to cause a _cave-in_ …" - Let's just say that I hadn't expected to see any ceilings in the Valley Canyon. —Blu


	3. Again With Being A Mom

"Definitely Not My First or Last Time Being A Mom"

Endra

Residential District (North), Fort Devas, Astral Plane

* * *

You know, you'd think that living for about 6.5 billion years would make a pseudo-god-like being not deign to consider walking into a temple with a paper bag full of food.

You'd be wrong. I guess you haven't had an adopted daughter—one who you are _millennia_ older than—to come home to.

"Excuse my intrusion, ma'am."

If the almost-fish-like dragon whom I was addressing could look surprised, she certainly did _look_ the part. "Wha… Who are you?" she asked, from up on her low platform.

I wouldn't blame her. A woman with fiery red hair and pale skin, wearing a black leather hooded coat and boots, carrying a foreign bag of unknown objects in one hand and a cutting board in the other?

Despite myself, I grinned and gave one of those theatrical bows. "I am Endra. I come bearing gifts. Well—" I shrug. "—I figured I'd make them _here_ , where I can get feedback from our mutual friend's resident Astral Dragon."

* * *

Cut to Lilith holding her laughter back, and me finishing up with slicing up the ingredients.

With my index claw (don't worry, I made sure to sterilize it).

"…so then, what happened to the horse?" I could tell she was trying to be polite.

I chuckled as well. "Luckily, I'd forgotten about the apples in the back."

By the time I'd turned the French bread, tomatoes, and roast beef into sandwiches; we'd already cleared up that I _wasn't_ here to destroy everything (I won't tell you _how_ I got Moro's permission; _that's_ confidential), discussed how the human-made "Deva Station" could have arrived here, and then started talking about some of our misadventures before getting to where we are today.

"Yeah, they didn't figure out what I'd pulled on them until _after_ I'd floated downstream," I finished. "Yeesh, for as long as I've lived, I've _never_ seen a boss get pissed like _that_ with her lackeys. …And, that's all of 'em!"

Atop the weathered cutting board sat eight little sandwiches, probably my best so far. One half was roast beef and lettuce, while the other was ham and cheese. Very simple, but I know what happens when you try making something that's beyond your skill level.

I picked up one by the end and raised it to Lilith's mouth. "Okay, now say ahhhh…"

"What?" That took the Astral Dragon aback, before she gathered herself. "Oh, no, you needn't go that far for me, Lady Endra—"

"Okay, first: please cut the 'lady' crap. It's weird," I said. "Second: I can tell that no One ever went out of their way to actually feed you while growing up—before coming to Nohr."

"I…"

"Besides," I shrugged, feeling a twinge of past regret, "I missed a chance to do something like this. Can you at least humor me this once? _Please?_ "

She looked back at me, and for a moment, I was afraid that I'd been rather overbearing. But, one carefully guarded expression later, Lilith disproved my fear with cautious gratitude. "…Th-Thank you for your generosity, ma'am."

I grinned. "Okay, _ma'am_ , I can live with. But hey—anytime. Now, open wide~!" I held the sandwich up again. "Here comes the choo-choo train! _Chugga-chugga, chugga-chugga, chugga-chugga, chugga-chugga…_ "

It was all we could do to not burst out in peals of laughters. Or see-food on the temple floor.

* * *

"…wearing a black leather hooded coat and boots…" - Doesn't her ensemble look a lot like something worn by members of Organization XIII? —Noan

* …Well, _that_ wasn't very subtle. —Blu

* Yeah, how…disappointing. —Endra

* What?! It's true, isn't it? —Noan

* Yes, it is… _kidnapper_. —Blu

"French bread" - Also known as Nohrian bread. Commonly used for sandwiches. —Dreyza

* Did you learn that in _this_ Nohr, or… —Blu

* Yeah, actually. The conquest didn't exactly give us a lot of "free time". —Dreyza

* …I see. —Blu

"(I won't tell you _how_ I got permission from the Astral Dragon Moro…)" - Dragon's honor? —Blu

* Dragon's honor. Even if I'm also Immortal. —Endra

"…no One ever went out of their way to actually feed you while growing up—before coming to Nohr." - That means _before_ Kamui found her and nursed her back to health? —Blu

* Yeah. I mean, you saw what happened before, right? —Endra

* …Yes, I did. —Blu

"…one carefully guarded expression later, Lilith…" - You know, I think Lilith beat Camilla as far as "growing up before you're ready" goes. —Dreyza

* No One's ready to grow up too fast. Neither are Zeros. —Blu


	4. The Endgame to This Dastardly Scheme!

"The Endgame to This Dastardly Scheme!"

[ N/A ]

Transit District (South), Fort Devas, Astral Plane

* * *

The sun was setting, and Fort Devas was…eerily empty.

As such, nothing seemed to find a large red-and-grey dragon appearing at the town's entrance to be particularly out of place.

As soon as it touched down, Endragon shook its neck as it folded its wings away. Sniffing the somewhat-stale air, the curious creature sleepily looked back at its lone passenger.

 _Well, we're here,_ it thought.

The passenger—Prince Kamui of Hoshido and Nohr—nodded and slid down the dragon's back.

"Thank you for the ride, uh, Endragon."

Satisfied that it wasn't being given any more respect than it deserved, Endragon strolled off on its four legs, presumably looking for somewhere to sleep.

Watching after the Immortal for a few seconds, Kamui then turned to face the castle in the north—

"What in the world?"

There was some giant wooden boxes some meters in front of him, all laid out in an arc that bent away from him. The smallest boxes were easily large enough to hold (or hide) a small crowd of people.

"Um, Xander? Ryoma?" Kamui stepped forward tentatively. "Azura? Anyone…?"

And then, in the distance…

 _ **BANG! BANG! BANG!**_

Kamui jumped. "What the—?!"

Colored lights started exploding in the sky overhead, blossoming into different shapes. The poor prince found himself gaping at them, having never seen anything of the like before (well, as far as he could remember, at least).

Just as he recognized one of the shapes (his head), something started to make an almost-blaring noise—one that caused him to turn 180 degrees, towards the boxes, Alpha Yato at the ready.

 _…wait a minute,_ he thought. _Is that…music?_

And just as he realized that, the large boxes were catapulted backwards. (With a small "Ouch!" on the right.)

Indeed, the boxes were big enough to hide some people inside. So, when Kamui saw who was hiding underneath them, he was stunned. And then he smiled.

And as he sheathed his blade, the Coalition—his family, his friends, the Zeros—started to sing along with the birthday song.

Camilla, Hinoka, Ryoma and Xander were smiling in earnest. Takumi and Leo didn't seem to mind doing this for their sibling. Elise and Sakura were being their usual selves. Everybody else—retainers, soldiers, former criminals, Zeros—partook with varying degrees of cheerfulness. Thankfully, it was mostly cheerful (even Arthur, who had managed to hit his head with his group's box).

 _"Happy Bir~thday / Congratula~tions"_

 _"Happy Bir~thday / With Saluta~tions"_

 _"Happy Bir~thday / May your skies stay blue~"_

 _"Happy Bir~thday To You~!"*_

That asterisk at the end is because Silas and Trey had brought forward a metal trolley through the center of the crowd. As they stopped in front of him, Kamui realized what was standing atop it: a triple-decker cake, a culinary innovation from the mess hall kitchen. And glazed upon the icing, some behind the candles, were various pictures of the Coalition members either being in their element, goofing off, or (somehow) both.

The song ended, the fireworks continued, and all present (sans birthday boy) cheered in varying degrees, from merely smiling (e.g. ninjas and assassins) jumping up and down with delight (e.g. Elise, Kaden).

"WOOHOO!" "Right on!" "Happy birthday, Boss!" "We nailed it!" "Hope you liked it, big bro!"

Kamui was, for lack of a better word, stunned by this.

He turned to his left, where Ryoma, Xander, Camilla, Hinoka, Dreyza and Bluefield were standing. "So _this_ is what you guys were up to," he said, slowly grinning.

Bluefield shrugged, trying hard not to grin like a complete wacko. "More or less."

The dragon prince shook his head. "And here I thought everyone was in on something dastardly behind my back."

They looked at each other. "Um…" "Eh…"

"Heh, I'm kidding, I'm kidding!" Kamui then turned to look at the cake. "But wait…what about the candles?"

Before any answers got voiced, there was a snap of fingers somewhere past Kamui's right, and the unlit candle wicks ignited with small stars.

Everybody turned to look.

Endra lowered her hand, with a slightly guilty smile. "Sorry. Couldn't resist."

And everybody laughed.

"Okay, now make a wish and blow those candles out!" Dreyza exclaimed.

Obliging, Kamui closed his eyes for a few seconds. Then— _PFFFFFFF!_ —and the little lights wink out.

And so, with that and a round of applause (and perhaps Azura stepping out to kiss him on the cheek), did Kamui's 18th birthday party begin.

* * *

 **Author's Note** : My birthday is drawing to a close for me today! Figured I'd give and not receive by giving our protagonist a much-needed reprieve from killing undead soldiers and freaks of nature, so, here it is! Hope you enjoyed reading it, at least a little.

I'll get back to what I was planning to publish for this fic ASAP. Until then, take care!


	5. Catching Up With A Fellow Soldier

**Author's Note** : Here it is!

Just a heads-up, but if you've gone out of your way to read the footnotes of _TAA - FEA_ , you'll probably recognize the name of the OC that Dreyza is about to address in this drabble.

Okay, now before I let Dreyza take over…

 _ **WARNING** : Strong language (e.g. S-word)_

* * *

"Catching Up With A Fellow Soldier"

Dreyza

Military District (East), Fort Devas, Astral Plane

* * *

They started their sparring session just as I sat down on the wooden bench to watch.

 _Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!_ The contact of the practice blades rang out clear from the makeshift practice square.

Hana is damn good. I mean, of course she is. Even in an alternate world, she's among some of the best swordfighters in Hoshido—before Prince Ryoma, of course. But just like Effie, she never stops getting better for the safety her liege.

Trey, on the other hand…well, he's good with a handgun. And a scythe.

But not with…yeah, you probably finished that thought, huh?

"What's wrong, Trey?" Hana called, breaking a sweat. "You're not giving up now, are you?"

Trey, breaking two sweats, was gasping, gripping the practice blade in both hands. "No, it's just…okay, gotta keep going…gotta keep going… _Hah!_ "

"No, you don't!"

"Oh, _crap!_ "

As the thwacking continued, I wondered how Trey could possibly need to work on his swordsmastery more than his scythemastery—at least initially, a few years ago.

Just as I thought about it, a familiar voice cropped up on my 5 o'clock. "At ease before you do anything, soldier."

I smiled despite myself as I turned to look. "Hey, Burna."

"Hey, Dreyza," she grinned. She was wearing some of her SAF fatigues: the camo pants, boots, grey tank top. Her long, blonde, and rough ponytail could probably rival Takumi's. All in all, she looked a bit more…weathered than the last time we'd met. The way the sun played off her…you'd probably mistake her for a lioness.

"So, how've you been?" I asked as she strode over to the bench.

"Oh, good, good." She sat down beside me, her water canteen in hand. "You?"

"Oh, same shit, different day. Adjusting. For the umpteenth time." I sighed, swigged from my metal water bottle. "Wasn't expecting a no-sides answer from Mikoto's kid this time, you know. I mean—I wasn't _against_ it. Just surprised."

Burna nodded. "Under better circumstances, I'd be able to say, 'That makes two of us.'"

"Yeah."

Burna set down her canteen and nodded towards the sparring square. "So, who's learning this time? Trey again?"

"Nah, more like everybody, army and otherwise. Trey's still _re_ learning to wield a sword; but Hana and Subaki wanted to try sparring with a Zero. They're just sandboxing right now; s'long as no One gets hurt and-or nothing blows up, anything goes."

Burna scoffed. "Oh, so what happens if Trey gets hurt, huh?"

I gave her a look.

"What, a SAF soldier isn't allowed to snark anymore?" she asked in mock shock.

I snickered at that. "What?! Staff Sergeant Bernadette Lamprecht, not allowed to _snark?_ Better hope Blu doesn't hear about that!"

We both laughed at the mental image of Blu socking Burna's superior in the jaw—with zero freaks given—as Hana knocked Trey down on his butt with a well-executed uppercut strike.

"Agh!"

"Yes!" cried the pink samurai triumphantly. "First win out of five rounds!"

 _Wait, seriously?_

Then again, what was I expecting? She was kinda like Edea: once she's on a roll, she's a little hard to stop.

"What? Oh, man…"

"Here." Hana reached a hand down to him. "Can't knock down an enemy who's already on the ground, right?"

As I watched, fighting to straighten my face, Trey took Hana's hand, and the samurai helped him onto his feet. I doubted that he'd seen it.

All of a sudden, the sunlight began to dim. I looked up from the sparring space.

"Good thing it doesn't rain here very often," Burna said as the greyish-white clouds lazily slithered overhead, the astral sun fighting (and failing) to break through.

"Heh, don't let Blu hear you say that, either."

"I know, I know."

A moment of silence, then she turned to look at me—eyes somber.

"…Bluefield told me about what happened," she finally said. "You chronicled the Conquest of…You-Know-What, right?"

I stopped post-gulp, then set my metal bottle back down. "…Yeah," I finally said. "Yeah, I did. And you…partook in the Byakuya Campaign?"

The soldier nodded. "Mm-hmm."

An awkward silence, filled with more whacks than words, settled between us before she broke it.

"Did it suck?"

"Putting up a mask in front of three assholes?" Sigh. "Yep. And you?"

"Seeing royalty go from resolute to broken in the span of four seconds." She pinched the sides of her nose. "Freakin' great."

I nodded. I could see _that_ happening to Xander.

Burna exhaled, then turned to look at me. "You think we can actually reach this 'Answer' you guys are looking for? You and Prince Co—" She stopped herself. "—Kamui, I mean."

I took another swig. Hana, another swing. "Yeah," I said. "I mean, sure, it's gonna be hard. But then again, has anything we Wolves've ever done been easy?"

Burna thought about that. "Fair enough," she replied. "But if you guys misuse this second chance—"

"Okay, I know where you're going with this," I said, stopping her. "But the way I see it, now that we _do,_ we won't need to fight tooth and nail to get a third." I capped my bottle and set it down. "'course, _now_ we gotta fight tooth and goddamn nail to make this count."

Burna chuckled. "Y'know, you've certainly changed since we first met."

"And whaddaya mean by _that,_ ma'am?"

The SAF soldier simply held up her hands. "Only saying that you officially have experience in leadership during wartime shit. Is that a bad thing?"

I relented. "Guess not."

"Agh!"

Back in the square, Trey had finally landed a strike against Hana's unprotected side, knocking her on her back. Even Trey was shocked.

"Um…sorry…?" he said meekly.

I couldn't help but laugh a bit at Trey and his uncanny ability to find a way to win. Occasionally.

Burna leaned in as Trey helped a grudging Hana up for round 3. "Guess _some_ things'll never change, eh?"

"Guess not," I nodded. "But in the end, that's why I love him."

* * *

"Hana" - Real given name: Kazahana. You know, I've noticed that a lot of people here have shorter nicknames, especially in Hoshido. I wonder why? Less of a mangle to the tongue? For brevity in the heat of battle? —Trey

* Could be those. Could also be that some people were just lazy. —Blu

"But just like Effie" - Context: This was _after_ the "visit" to Fort Jinya, but _waaay_ before the skirmish at Port Dia. We hadn't met Effie yet (hey, that rhymes) at that time. —Blu

* "Visit"? Oh, sure, they welcomed us with open arms, too. Aiygh… —Kyoku

* That experience was similar to the "first time", right, Kyoku? —Blu

* Mm-hmm. Bit south further of the entrance, though. —Kyoku

* I see. —Blu

"army and otherwise" - Obviously not including SAF personnel. But yeah, Kamui's (very small) force and the Ashen Wolves. —Blu

"Trey's still learning to wield a sword" - Four years, and he's halfway _decent_ with a sharp stick?! —Noan

* So was I, asshole. —Blu

"sandboxing" - Sparring with experimental intent, with no strict rules, aside of "no injuries", "no bloodshed", etc. Colloquial commonly used by Zeros and, to a lesser extent, SAF personnel. Boxing not strictly involved. — _from Appendix A_

"Conquest [of Hoshido]" - Which will hopefully never happen again. And yes, I'm well aware that that's a vain hope. —Dreyza

"the Byakuya Campaign" - What Dreyza said. That was…just depressing. —Burna

"But then again, has anything we Wolves've ever done been easy?" - Let's see… —Vaire

* Chronicling the Journey of the Warriors of Light

* Chronicling the story of Prince Chrom of Ylisse

* Chronicling the survival of the peoples of New Los Angeles

* Chronicling the Byakuya Campaign

* Chronicling the Conquest of Hoshido


	6. Woof! Woof!

**Author's Note** : Credit goes to **The Apocryphal One** , both for the idea behind _and_ help with some of this drabble! Thanks for throwing me a bone at me, friend! :D

* * *

"Woof! Woof!"

Vespyr

Unity Square (Centre), Fort Devas, Astral Plane

* * *

"Whoa, Reben! Wait up!"

It was hard to believe that my big brother's leader's old pseudo-German Shepherd could be fast when it wanted to.

 _Woof!_ Reben bounded over the (rather short) bridge over to the town centre and into Unity Square, deciding to steer his charge into the giant park. With construction finished on it (finally!), it was more than big enough to host a game of fetch between a dog and his best friend.

Which Reben clearly realized.

 _Geez, I mention Frisbees, and he's off on an outing like a bullet train,_ I thought ruefully.

I don't care what anyOne says about dog years—Reben's still in his 20s and with energy to spare.

Speaking of, as I was still catching up to him, a red Frisbee clutched in my hand, Reben bounded onto the grass, a few more paces, then looked to the right.

And then he veered to his right, over behind that wall of dense bamboo.

 _Crash!_

At first, I thought he might've overturned some left-behind construction equipment. _…No, not enough metal._

 _Woof!_ Follow a load of a flat tongue licking someOne's face.

"Whoa, hahaha! I j—ahaha, stop it, please!"

Slowing to a jog myself, I got myself over the grass and up to where that rather familiar voice was giggling. Peeking over, I had to grin at what I saw.

"Heh, guess Reben's already taken a liking to you, Elise," I chuckled.

Nohr's youngest princess looked as though she'd been having some fun, even before Reben had shown up. Paw prints had gotten onto her outfit and her boots. One of her boot ribbons had come lose. She had some leaves—tree and bamboo—caught in her huge ponytails. And her cheeks were _covered_ in dog slobber. And as Reben stepped aside, still excited to play with these funny people, Elise was grinning ear to ear as she got up to her feet.

"Oh! Hi, Vespyr!" She dusted her front off before looking back up at me. "Is this your dog? He's really friendly!"

"Yeah, he sure is an amiable chap, isn't he?" I scratched behind his head before answering. "He's actually Bluefield's dog, but he's no less _our_ friendly neighbor. Of course, I didn't expect him to run you over." Dropping the Frisbee behind me, I pulled out a hand towel from my coat, chuckling, "Gosh, he got slobber _everywhere…_ "

About 30 seconds later, Elise was 100% Drool-Free! "Fhoo…" she exhaled as I sheathed the towel. " _That_ feels better. Thanks, Vespyr!"

"Anytime. Now, since we're already here 'n' all that,"—and here, I picked the Frisbee up again, held it up—"why don't we have some fun with Reben, eh?"

"Ooh!" Without asking me (because of course, but nevermind), Elise took the red disc from my hand and, with both of hers, launched it with all her might. "Eii-YAH!"

 _Boink!_

"…huh?"

When she opened her eyes, Elise saw the Frisbee at Reben's feet, a few measly feet away. The poor canine looked up at her and tilted his head, as if asking _Are you okay, friend?_

The princess turned to look at me, sheepish. "Eheh, I guess I should've _asked_ how to make the disc fly, huh?"

I grinned. At least you didn't blame the disc. "Don't sweat it," I said, picking up the Frisbee and walking back to Elise, stopping at her right-hand side. "It's easy: Just hold it like so;"—and here, she sees me mock-toss for demonstration—"then, as you flick your wrist, loosen your fingers…and let it fly!"

A split half-second later, Reben charged, following the Frisbee over the grass. 10 metres out… 20 metres… 30—

And he springs up!—snatching the Frisbee in midair at 37 meters out.

"Whoooooa!" exclaimed Elise as Reben galloped back over. "That was amazing!"

"Eh, it's not my best," I admitted as I scratched behind Reben's ears. "Here—do it the way I did. All in the wrist, all right?"

"Okay, sure!"

* * *

Music Recommended:

" **cket** " by Yoko Kanno ( _Terror in Resonance_ soundtrack)

" **Run Amok** " by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech-dot-com)

* * *

A few moments later, the slightly slobbery red disc in her gloved hands, Elise was ready to make her first real throw. With a Frisbee, of course. Not a discus.

"Okay…" She drew her hand back, then uncoiled. "HAH!"

 _WSHHHHHHT—!_

Immediately, Reben bounded off, south-southeast, as the Frisbee twirls 10 metres, 2—

Oh, wait no, 12 metres. "Hey, not bad not bad!" applauded I as Reben returned the Frisbee.

"Yeah, good boy!" She scratched behind his ears as he let her take the red disc. "Wanna go again? Wanna go again, boy?"

 _Woof!_ Reben panted excitedly.

"Okay… GO!"

10… 20… Spring! goes the canine.

"26 metres; you're getting the hang of this fast, Elise!"

"Yeah, I guess I am!" Reben arrived as she finished saying that. "Okay—now, to put _every_ fiber of my being into this next throw!"

I'll admit it: I chuckled at that. "Where did you get that?"

"Well, that's what Arthur does for…" She thought about it, Frisbee in hand. "… _pretty_ much everything he does. Okay… Here…GOES!"

What happened next was particularly mild in the Hall of Bad Luck.

The Frisbee shot south-southwest, right into a thick oak tree. It then proceeded to recoil upwards, becoming just a pale red rectangle in the sky.

And then, a few seconds of us staring up there later, the Frisbee came down, on my left.

Onto somebody's head.

* * *

…Aaaand cut the music.

* * *

"OW!" cried he as he fell to the ground beside us, the Frisbee tumbling after.

Out of the corner of my eye, Elise's brows shot up. "Oh, gods! I'm so sorry!"

"Ouch…" I said, with a little bit of a hiss. "You okay?"

After a few seconds of taking his misfortune by laying on the grass, the Frisbee concussion victim sat up, sunlight glancing his face.

"Bugger…" Kyoku groaned, rubbing his head as I walked over. "Well, nothing vital was split open. Fingers test?"

"Yeah, sure." I held my right hand one foot from his face. "How many?"

Kyoku tool a second. And then he gave me a _very_ elaborate…tongue-out face.

I laughed at that. "Yeah, you're okay. Here, let's get you up off the ground."

"Yes, please."

As I grabbed his right hand, Elise trotted—no wait, she wasn't riding Buttercups—jogged over and helped by grabbing his left.

"Okay… Thanks, Ves," he said before turning to Elise. "Thanks, Your Cheeriness."

She beamed, clearly taking it the way he'd meant, and bowed low. "Anytime, Sir Grumpso!"

Kyoku chuckled at that. "Okay, so, what's up with you today?" he asked me. "Teaching her how to throw a Frisbee?"

"That obvious?"

"Well, the bump on my head's not from barreling into a cast-iron fence, so I'd guess not." He smiled. "Mind if I join some of the fun?"

Okay, _that,_ I hadn't quite expected, but it certainly wasn't unwelcome. "Sure, why not? What do you think, Elise?"

"Of course!" exclaimed the princess. "The more the merrier, after all!"

"All right, then." By now, Reben had the Frisbee in his teeth once again. Kyoku petted him, got the throwing disc back from him, and stepped away. "Now, to abandon any and all sense of shame…"

He pulled back…

"…and send this plastic saucer flying…with COURAGE!"

…and the little red disc flew all the way home.

Sort of.

 _Boink!_ "GAH!"

* * *

"Unity Square" - Remind me: who came up with that name? 'cause it's a bit… What's that saying in English? "On the nose." —Min-hi

* If I told you, it'd make—ahem—"perfect" sense. —Blu (yetchcantbelieveisaidthatword)

* …Ah. I apologize for that statement, Prince Kamui. —Min-hi

* It's no trouble. —Kamui

"amiable chap" - Okay, stupid question, but I'm curious: how often does "chap" pop up in so-called American vernacular? —Kyoku

* Well, I'm not an expert, but if you had a gun (or a _yumi_ ) aimed at my head, I'd safely say "less than in British vernacular". But, since that's not exactly a "good" answer… —Blu

* Yeah, I'll look into it. —Kyoku

"Of course, I didn't expect him to run you over." - Add to the list of "Ones & Zeros Run Over By Reben": one Princess Elise of Nohr. —Blu

* Hey, you're on the list, too! …wha—Hey! —Dreyza

* Did you get into my stuff, Dreyza? —Blu

* Uh… —Dreyza

* Just _ask_ me next time? Please? —Blu

"37 metres" - In case you were wondering, Whoever-The-Hell-Is-Reading-This, Unity Square Park—essentially, the circle of grass enveloping the cobblestone center—is about 200 meters in diameter. If that seems a bit small, it's likely because the chapel and theater buildings are built on the same center "platform" as Unity Park is. Besides, once Kamui can fully control the DVs of the astral plane, he'll be able to improve the layouts of the "plats". But until then, everybody in Fort Devas has gotta make do with what they've got here. —Blu

"Music Recommended:" - Uh, any ideas who keeps adding this thing? —Blu

* Wait, what? I thought that was you. :( —Dreyza

* No, it wasn't. Heck, it's been happening since _2010,_ and I _still_ don't have a clue whodu—ahem… _who does this._ —Blu

"…Elise was ready to make her first real throw. With a Frisbee, of course." - Wait, does Nohr not have the discus toss, or what? —Bluefield

* Well, they do, actually. But it's more of an every-few-years event—kinda like with your world's Olympics. In Windmire, the most regular form of entertainment is the one-on-one tourney. It's probably got something to do with tourneys being competitive with your _immediate_ opponent, while the discus throw doesn't really involve much of the sort. —Dreyza

* Ohh, okay. Makes sense. But I'm guessing that the bigger event that holds the discus event is either scheduled for a different year, or… —Blu

* …was possibly canceled _this_ year. War's a bitch, huh? —Dreyza

* Tell me about it… —Blu

"The more the merrier, after all!" - For once, _**freak**_ the dichotomy: that is so goddamn true. —Blu

"…and send this plastic saucer flying…with COURAGE!" - Must've watched one too many friends bowling. —Kyoku


	7. Thou Shalt Not Wield LMGs (right now)

**Author's Note** : Before you ask, I might be wrong with some of the statistics regarding the weapon of focus in this chapter.

 _ **Warning** : Some strong language._

* * *

"Thou Shalt Not Wield LMGs (right now)"

Vespyr

Testing Range, Deva Sation, Astral Plane

* * *

I've seen people like Felicia and Princess Sakura marvel at similarities—and differences—between their world and Origin-Earth's—namely, medical care for soldiers. Luckily, the ointments*, bandages, and fastenings that SAF often use aren't too different from the kind that nations such as Hoshido and Nohr utilize themselves. However, for obvious reasons, that's where some of the major similarities between "Hoshido and Nohr — Healing" and "Shell Armed Forces — Healing" end.

As for weapons, on the other hand…obviously, that's a completely different matter.

And…it's a little scary.

* * *

Like I said, Sakura and Felicia were stunned by the differences between Blu's world's medicine, and that of their own.

So you can probably imagine Prince Takumi's cautious intrigue when, at the testing range at Deva Station, he layed his eyes on one of the most _terrifying_ modern weapons ever wielded by foot soldiers.

Well, not that he knew that.

Yet.

Casually, I strode over the range to him, the sun slowly beginning its descent. The outdoor range was situated on the side of the platform that faces away from Fort Devas, and for good reason: the range has you shooting outward. In other words, there's a chance someOne could get hit with a stray bullet or something. Which nobody in the Astral Plane needed. Sure, the D.S. personnel have some safety measures in place (which people would likely write off as magic), but Burna wasn't willing to take any chances—especially not after Deva damaged Devas. So, now, the worst we can do is frighten the freaking shit out of seagulls.

And possibly the natives.

" _That's_ an M249 light machine gun with a holographic-dot aiming sight, a bipod stand, and a vertical foregrip you're looking over, Your Highness," I said casually, causing him to start.

"Oh—uh, _that's_ what it's called?" he asked, somewhat bemused. "The Em-Two-Fourty-Nine?"

I nodded. "Basically, yeah. Weighs 7.5 kilograms when _not_ loaded with"—and here, I pointed a finger over the sight rail to indicate—"a box holding a belt of about 200 bullets. _Then_ it's about 10 kilos. Belt gets fed through the side here, mechanism triggers bullets and sends it barreling outward—at up to 900 rounds per minute."

He looked up at me, stunned. "Nine hundred? Every minute?"

"Yeah. But don't worry!" I reassured him. "The ones that SAF's got here only fire at 800 rounds per minute."

"…Whoa…" Takumi's eyebrows had gone way up, clearly taken aback, before regaining his composure. "So, you're saying that this…bulk of metal is meant to fire…micro-metal-darts repeatedly and rapidly?"

"Bullets," I corrected him. "But yeah, and for a certain purpose. Here,"—I scooped up the M249 and thrust it towards him. "Why not give it a shot for yourself?"

…erm…

Forgive the bad pun and rhyme.

It took a bit of time before Takumi got what I was asking. "Ehhhhhhh?!"

* * *

A lake-blue-clad Hoshidan archer, wearing a pair of SAF-issue safety goggles and yellow ear covers ("And you'd think _Blu's_ gun was loud."), carrying beside his hip an ironically abbreviated LMG.

"Gods, this thing's heavier than it looks!" he said, trying not to yell too much. Some of the other SAF personnel were still checking their hardware at the range, but they still had to glance at the Hoshidan prince trying to test this piece of the SAF armoury. "You guys don't start by working with these things, do you?"

"Of course not!" I scoffed before turning to the booth controls. "SAF _never_ issues those to greenhorns. You're lucky. …In a sense. Okay, I'm gonna set the paper target out to…50 metres out."

"So, brace myself, and hold down the…the 'trigger'?"

"Yeah— _on my mark,_ " I added quickly. "Aim at the target, keep it on target best you can, and _don't aim at me._ Or, y'know…anybody here."

"Uh, right."

 _Rrrrrrr… Click!_ went the motor as it drew the paper target out to 50m. Luckily, the astral plane wasn't very windy today.

"Okay…ready," he said.

"All right," I said, looking between, "open fire."

Takumi pulled the trigger. And held it. "Wh-Whoa!"

 _ChatchatchatchatchatchatchatchatchatchatchatchatchatchatchatchatchatchatchatchatchatchatchatchatchatchatCHAT!_

In the first two seconds, he quickly figured out that he had to pull down the M249's front (via grip) to control its recoil—quick thinking, for someOne whose weapon of choice has almost little to none of that detriment. The next ten seconds involved him trying to get the gunfire to hit the target. And just when the bullets looked as they might just hit the paper chest—

 _—KLAK!_

The double-take that Takumi did almost made me bust up, but I kept my poker face. "What—oh," he realized. "It's already out of…um…"

"Bullets."

"Yeah."

"Nothing a reload won't fix." I clicked the lever back, then held out my hands. "If I may?"

"Huh?" Then Takumi looked down at the LMG in his hands. "O-Oh, sure."

As I got to reloading the damn thing, Takumi took off one ear cover as the paper target stopped one metre in front of him. "So, how'd you do?" I asked casually.

"Uh…pretty badly, actually," he said. I could hear leather brushing against the paper. "I think I only got about…two? through the chest at the start. I almost got one through the head. Two near the neck. Gods," and here, he turned to face me. "I only got about fifteen to hit this thing. How're you supposed to be accurate with that thing?"

I'd slammed down the lid when he said that. Then I stared at him, like he'd just dropped in front of me from the Moon or something. " _Accurate?_ This thing? Your Highness, that's just it! Of _course_ it's not accurate! That's not what LMGs are really meant for!"

"What?"

With one last pull, the M249 was ready for another round. "Large amount of ammunition, high rate of fire? Weapons like these _can_ kill, but the LMG has two purposes. One: use as a portable emplacement gun, by laying on your belly and using the bipod on the ground to hold the gun in place. That's for keeping the area behind you secured. Two: _suppress_ the enemy. Y'know—make 'em run for cover, keep them from aiming and shooting at you. If they see the damage it can do, they won't _risk_ standing in front of it. That's usually when you're walking around, firing from the hip."

"Yikes…" The prince grimaced. "I don't think I'd want to find myself on the business end of this thing."

"I wholeheartedly agree," I nodded, nudging the M249 back to him. "Okay, let's try one last thing before I put this beast away."

"Uh, sure." Sliding the ear cover back on, Takumi hoisted the weapon up again. "All right, maybe I got it now."

"Okay, then," I said as I plugged something into the booth controls, then dislodged the paper target. "By the way," I said as I reached over to the next booth to snag a loaded Desert Eagle (44-caliber), "try not to wet your smallclothes, eh?"

The booth light overhead lit from green to red.

But Takumi didn't notice.

"What?" He seemed a bit offended by that, unaware of the apparition that was forming while he glared at me. "Oh, come on! You don't know me that well! What do you think could possibly cause me to OH _CRAP!_ "

* * *

Yeah. I didn't know him that well. Not before.

Last time, he'd tried to shoot Dreyza.

Last time, he'd tried to shoot us, despite the growing ache in his head.

Last time, he'd pretended we didn't exist at the table, in Izumo.

Last time, he just yelled at me before falling off the Great Wall of Suzanoh.

Last time, his body—a husk, inhabited by a demon of rage—nearly the Nohrian forces their limbs, their lives.

So yeah, I didn't know him that well.

But hey—this time, I have a chance to befriend a guy who wasn't dealing with that shit.

And we could both agree that a horde of obviously-illusionary Faceless aren't the best party guests.

* * *

 _ **Bang!**_

The last of the illusions fell to its knees (on the ground that didn't exist below it) before dissipating in shards of light.

The booth light lit green again.

"Hm." Nodding, I quickly ejected the last Deagle clip. "Nice, beating me by 5 targets."

Shakily, Takumi put the LMG down. "Well," he said as he moved to remove the glasses and ear covers. "that was…different."

He set them down, beside the gun. We were both quiet for a few moments.

I turned to Takumi. Clearly, it wasn't the Faceless targets that had scared him.

"I'd, uh…like to know what you're thinking about right now," I prompted, slightly uncertain.

Looking over at me, Takumi started, but closed his mouth, looking over to the infinite sea ahead. The sun was setting.

Finally, he spoke.

"I'm thinking…that I'm glad that you aren't our real enemy. Any of you. I don't think even the Nohrian army could stand up to stuff like this."

I nodded a little. "Yeah… Me too. Good thing we're saving this stuff for our real enemies."

Suddenly, the PA system crackled to life behind us.

"All right, practice time's done today, people," sighed the voice. "Everybody at the Testing Range: please disarm and return all SAF weapons to the armory. I repeat: if you're at the…"

Takumi moved to pick up the M249, but I snatched it up first. "Hey, no need. I got this one, too," I said to him.

"What, I don't get to help?"

"Oh, no, you've already helped out _here_ plenty. 'sides,"—and here, I gave him a cheeky little grin—"wouldn't Oboro be looking for you by now?"

The prince's eyes widened. "Oboro! Oh, gods, she's going to _kill_ me!"

"Doubt it. Now go on, beat feet. I'll see you at the fort later."

The image of Prince Takumi of Hoshido running panicked to the docks, is one that I wouldn't soon forget.

 _Finally,_ a fond memory.

* * *

"magic" - Ah, magicks. If I recall properly, the natives' magic, the SAF's technologies, and the Zeros' less… _natural_ abilities all operate on some or all of the same principles. —Dr. [ REDACTED ]

* Yeah, the Three Principles of Dimensional Interference. Three Laws of Robotics're easier to read and digest l, unfortunately. —Kyoku

"The next ten seconds…" - So, 15 seconds of continuous fire. Was that gun's cooling modified in someway? —Blu

* I don't believe so. It does get hot, but by the time it does, it's also time to reload. —Vespyr

"…horde of obviously-illusionary Faceless…" - Like that of Hoshidan magic scrolls? —Trey

* Basically, yeah. Or, it mimics that magic pretty well. —Vespyr

"…I don't think even the Nohrian army could stand up to stuff like this." - I don't think _any_ medieval military force could stand up to stuff like this. And he said that _before_ we got Deva Station's anti-air system working again. —Burna


	8. before Killer Killer, Chicken Dinner

**EDIT (9/5)** : Edited out plot device.

* * *

"before Killer Killer, Chicken Dinner"

Trey

"Krakensewers", Central Windmire, Kingdom of Nohr

* * *

When I took that Wanted poster and decided to try nabbing the subject, neither I nor the person I was helping expected it to go _this_ quickly. It was…anticlimactic, in a way that felt satisfying.

"STOP THAT MAN!"

The shrieking lady's voice rang loud against the stone confines of the underground sewer tunnels.

 _Huh?_

Instinctively, I swiveled—faced the way I'd come. 70 yards or so back back, some guy in a brown hempen cloak was barreling in my direction. In fact, the cloaked man had barreled over some poor guy, some groceries toppling into the river.

I noticed two things before hiding behind the old crates on my right. One: Hempen Cloak, knife in left hand, behind the folds. Two: Beruka, chasing him close behind—15 yards behind, at least.

 _Okay, okay,_ I thought, keeping calm as I reached for my neck (had to make this as inconspicuous as possible). _He's putting his weight forward in his run, so by the time he gets here, his neck'll be somewhere…around…_

Then, inhaling sharply, I held out the Glint Scythe out perpendicularly—bracing one end against the wall to make it an immovable object. _Here!_

 _WHACK!_ "Gahk—!"

Almost like a scene from a cartoon, Hempen Cloak clotheslined right into the outstretched handle, sending him sprawled onto his back.

Dropping the scythe, I moved forward, pulling out of my jacket the stun gun that the D.S. personnel had loaned me. Hempen Cloak, seeing me, moved to swing his knife toward his throat.

He was halfway there before Beruka grabbed his arm, twisting his hand and dislocating his elbow. "Now, Trey!" she snapped, voice curt.

"AARGH!" The knife skittered near the edge of the sewer water.

Ignoring the man's scream, I pressed the stun gun against his neck. _Bzzzzzzzt!_

The arm shook violently in Beruka's grasp, then went limp as its owner passed out. I exhaled, and—as the arm was left to fall—perhaps she did, as well.

"Target neutralized," she said simply.

"Yeah," I agreed, the adrenaline rush having come and gone from my humanoid form. "Oh, right—can't forget…"

Putting the stun gun back in my jacket pocket, I produced a crude mouthguard-like contraption from the same place. "Boy, am I glad for bigger-on-the-inside pockets," I said as I fit it into Hempen Cloak's mouth. "Okay, all set." I grimaced. " _Geez,_ that's some strong-smelling—"

"So, that woman's device will prevent him from biting his tongue?" Beruka asked.

"Yeah— _assuming,_ " I included, "that it doesn't fall into the 30% chance of screwing up."

The former assassin looked at me. Her emotional state was still hard to read, but… "What happens in that…'thirty percent of the time'?"

I scratched my head. "Well, if Miss Ingrid's hypothesis is correct, it'd break the subject's teeth."

"…Oh."

"Luckily, it'll be easy for the guard captain to remove and dispose of it," I said. "Now, where _is_ the guard captain?"

Beruka moved Hempen Cloak over, pulling out some string. "No," she stated firmly as she expertly tied up his hands. "I'll turn this man in for us. You'd better head back to Fort Devas ahead of me."

"Oh…are you sure?"

She looked at me.

"…Yes, you're sure," I relented. "Just make it quick, okay? You don't wanna be late for the _karaage_ chicken."

Beruka raised one eyebrow—which is rare. "What is this… _ka-rah-ge_ you speak of?"

I was about to say something…then thought better of it. "That's something you should learn for yourself."

Her expression didn't change. "You're not insinuating that I can't handle it, are you?"

"No no no no no!" I waved my hands in front of my face as I exclaimed. "I was just trying to imply that life is like wetwork: prepare to be surprised, or something like that."

Oh, gods, I cringed at that. Am I _ever_ going to get any better at this stuff?!

"Well, when you put it that way…" Finally, Beruka conceded. "All right. I'll give this dish a try."

Relaxing (though her expression softening helped), I nodded. "Okay, then," I said. "See you later, ma'am."

"You, too."

I may or may not have seen the ghost of a smile just then.

* * *

As Beruka walked off, Hempen Cloak's limp form slung over her shoulder, I set the Glint Scythe back in my neck before concentrating.

 _Lilith,_ I thought.

A flash of faint light appeared in the tunnelway behind me—which I'd failed to notice until now.

The small dragon popped her head around the stone, the know in her kerchief flopping over to one side. "You called?" she asked.

"Yeah. The job's done, but Beruka told me to head back first."

"I see. I'll keep my ears open, in that case." Then Lilith drifted a little closer. "Is something the matter, Sir Trey?"

"Huh? ...Oh," I shook my head. "It's nothing."

Her face was a little hard to read, but I could tell she didn't believe me. Regardless, she decided not to push it. "So, back to Fort Devas?"

I nodded. "Yup. Hopefully, Blu hasn't finished making dinner quite yet."


	9. A Dragon and A Rose…and some Soup

**Author's Note** : This took way too long for my liking to come out. Sorry for taking so long with this! Dx

P.S.: _Shin Godzilla_ is stomping his way over to U.S. theaters this October. Personally, I'm cautiously excited to see how Hideaki Anno brings the kaiju to life on the big screen. :D

Anyway, enough of that—better give Endra the floor here.

* * *

"A Dragon and A Rose…and some Soup"

Endra

Mess Hall (Center), Fort Devas, Astral Plane

* * *

I was still thinking about what I was doing wrong with the soup in front of me when I heard a rattling at the front door.

 _Eh?_

Moving the saucepan off the heat, I peeked my head out into the dining area. The frosted glass and thick wooden bars of the door ahead made it somewhat hard to read the woman's silhouette outside; and the storm outside, though it wasn't _as_ bad as before Kamui and company had gotten back from that voyage of theirs, was still not letting much through. Hell, the astral sun had already set; it was almost 12 o'clock sharp. All I _could_ tell was that this person was approximately my height, had a lot of long hair, and was probably wearing something that gave them tiny "devil horns".

Quickly yet quietly, I moved from behind the bar beside the kitchen, and strode over to the door.

 _Hmm…_ As I pulled the mess hall key out of my jacket pocket, I pressed my pointed ear on the door.

Seconds passed. I fit the key into the lock.

 _…Sounds like a "she". Rain's not exactly helping much for her…_

 _Click,_ goes the key.

Immediately, I pushed the door open wide with my left ( _Ring-ring!_ went the bell)—pulling my other hand back into a fist—and stopped. "Oh, hi," said I.

The lilac-haired woman before me—whom I would later learn is Princess Camilla of Nohr—stepped back in (surprisingly mild) surprise from my sudden appearance. "Oh…!"

She was wearing a somewhat sodden off-grey cotton raincloak—no doubt the storm was trying to go out with a bang now—over her (somewhat skimpy) outfit. Past the fold of her cloak, I could see the handle of a sheathed dagger fastened to her waist. Likely for self-defense; she clearly hadn't been at the fort for long.

For a second, we just stared at each other.

Then I looked out at the rain and dropped my fist. "Why the hell are you standing out in the rain?" I asked her.

The lilac-haired lady was clearly somewhat startled by my tone.

 _Guess where you come from, people haven't the stones to speak like that to you, huh?_ I thought.

"Oh, well… Honestly, it's nothing you need to be concerned about. Sorry for bothering you." With that, she turned to leave.

" _Whoa,_ whoa whoa whoa whoa." I grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back under the wooden awning. "Look, I dunno who you are—love your outfit, by the by—but I _really_ don't think you just _left_ the Residential District and walked all the way to the _mess hall_ of all places for 'nothing'," I pointed out, while avoiding being accusatory. "And besides, I may be busy here, but I don't see how I won't be able to help you, so if you could just be—"

And _that's_ when we both heard the unmistakable sound of a human's stomach growling.

Camilla blushed.

"…Well, _that_ decides it," I decided. "C'mon, then!" And here, I grasped her by the shoulder and pulled her inside. "In!"

"Ah—!" Her hood flopped back as she came in. _Ring-ring!_

It was still a bit dark in here—the candles in the dining area weren't lit.

"You popped by at just the right time, actually," I chatted as I let go of her, then headed behind the counter. "I'm trying to figure out what to do about this soup I'm messing with. Maybe you could taste-test it?"

"Well…" The lady sighed. "I suppose, seeing as I'm stuck here."

I scoffed. "Stuck, my butt! The door's not locked! Now, why don't you take a seat? I'll be out with the soup shortly."

I walked through the door…then backpedaled after forgetting something important. "Glass of water?"

Camilla nodded. "No ice," she added.

"Right." With that, I walked back in, and came out with a glass and pitcher in right and left. "Y'know, Blu always has his water with ice," I commented as I poured. "Even when it's freezing."

Camilla's eyebrows went up as I handed her the glass. "You know Bluefield?"

"Oh, you've met him?"

"Well, 'met' is a rather mild way to put it… But, I do find it rather hard to believe, considering that."

"I see. …Oop, better get to the soup."

I rushed back into the kitchen. The tomato soup sat in its saucepan, plain as all hell. In the compost bucket next to the cooktop were the ruined remains of my previous experiments: raw fish and tomato, snails and tomato (why the hell do the French eat snails, anyway?!), and…well, mostly raw fish.

Yeesh, cooking without a cookbook is a bit difficult.

Anyway, I scooped up a ceramic bowl, took a ladel, and poured some of the saucepan contents into said bowl.

"Well, here's the control batch!" I announced as I strode out of the kitchen. "Don't worry, it's safe for human consumption. Oh, and a spoon. You need a spoon… Ah, here's one!" I pulled one out of the counter drawers and held it up triumphantly.

After I set them both down, Camilla—and bear in mind, I don't know her name yet—took the spoon up, scooped, and cautiously sipped some of the soup from its domed surface. She then proceeded to savor the fruits of my labor—

Okay, _knock the overdone wordplay off,_ me!

Nervously, I asked her, "So…how is it? As a base to start from, at least."

"Hmm…" She continued to savor for a few seconds, then took a sip from her glass. "Well, it's fine as it is. Not something I'd return for, but I'm sure my retainers would settle for that. If you want a better opinion on how to make it better, though, I'd recommend talking to Leo."

"Leo?"

Camilla smiled. "Oh, he's my darling youngest brother," she elaborated fondly. "He's one of the smartest people I know. He'd be an excellent adviser to the Nohrian crown—that's how intelligent he is. And he wears the _cutest_ armor. But sometimes, he tends to put his collar on the wrong way…"

I raised an eyebrow in bemusement. "Collar? Wrong way? Are we talking about a human being or a pet here?!"

"Huh?" Then she put two and two together, and she started laughing uncontrollably. "Ahahahaha! No, no, I didn't mean _that_ at all! It's just—he wears a flared collar with his armor. Part of the attire, I suppose, but—"

"Oh, you mean like Dracula?"

Yes, this dragon read _Dracula_ once. Sue me.

"Dracula?"

I pulled my left arm out of my coat, and held the latter up over my face with the former, while making a pseudo-menacing finger-waggling gesture with my right hand held high. "' _I_ am Count _Drac_ ula!'" I declared in a bad accent. "'And I _vant_ to _drink_ your _blood!_ ' …or something like that. I might be _way_ off."

Camilla had to cover her mouth, no doubt to keep some of her dignity; while I just reinserted my arm into my coat and waited patiently for her to finish.

"Ahhh, you've quite the sense of humor, don't you?" she finally managed.

"Heh, I have some moments," I replied. "So, you were saying about Leo's high collar?"

"Ah, yes! Leo—he's really particular about his collar, but he tends to put it or some other article of clothing on the wrong way. The last time he did it, Kamui had to tell him his collar was inside out! Leo's embarrassment was so…"

Then she stopped. Her smile faded.

I noticed. "We're getting into sensitive stuff here, aren't we?"

Camilla nodded. Something contingent was bothering her.

Better not dig into it now, then.

After a bit of silence, I clapped and rubbed my gloved hands. "Right! That stuff can wait. This talk just took a basic idea and smacked it into my face. Wait right here, please."

"Oh, of course."

Rushing into the kitchen (and cursing myself for being an idiot), I searched the cabinets, producing a metal container from one of them. I set the container on the island in the center of the room, and unscrewed the top.

Next, I grabbed some Nohrian bread, butter, and ground basil from the pantry. After cutting a small length of said bread into a handful of croutons, I put the bread back and set the croutons in line.

Then I went outside and refilled Camilla's glass.

After preparing the oven fire—which wasn't hard, being a dragon—I put the croutons onto a metal baking pan, all in a row. Then, I put some butter into a smaller saucepan and melted it down, mixing in a dash of basil.

Once the coating was finished melting, I took a brush from the wall (not a paintbrush) and coated the croutons with the butter-basil mixture. Then, I slid the baking pan into the oven. The whole time, I made sure that the tomato soup was kept warm.

After a minute or so, I pulled out the croutons—just right!—and dropped some at the bottom of the container. Then I poured the soup in, then the rest of the croutons in. Then I took a thick kitchen cloth and, with some cotton string, tied some heat protection to the round container.

Screw on the top, and _presto!_ —makeshift lunchbox thingy!

"Here you go!" I said, putting the container in front of Camilla (while simultaneously taking the empty bowl back behind the counter). " _This_ should keep you warm for the rest of the night."

"O-Oh, why, thank you, miss…?"

I was too busy cleaning her spoon to listen. "Here ya go," I said, handing it to her. "Now, it's really late for a human to be up right now,"—and here, I'd reached her cloak and put it over her head and shoulders—"so, when you get back to your bedroom, eat that, brush your teeth,"—I pushed her to the door—"and please remember to leave the container and silverware outside of your door when you're done." _Ring-ring!_ "Okay?"

The princess—whom I didn't know was a princess, but I certainly suspected was a "blue blood"—nodded, slightly overwhelmed. "I'll keep that in mind, to be sure," she said as she stepped outside.

"Good!" _Ring-ring!_

…

 _Ring-ring!_ I opened the door again. She hadn't gone more than five steps away.

"The name's Endra, by the way," I said as she turned around. "I'm Bluefield's 'contract holder'. What's your name?"

"Princess Camilla of Nohr."

I smiled at that truth. "Well, nice to meet you, Your Highness. Now, please go to bed!"

And with that, I closed the door.

* * *

"…considering that." - Early winter, and I still take my waters iced. —Blu

"…raw fish and tomato…" - I think Leo would be freaking appalled by the senseless death and destruction of so many tomatoes. —Kyoku

* I think you are right. —Dreyza


	10. Hot Dogs For Lunch

**Author's Note** : Just want to make something official—well, as official as fanfiction _can_ be: _**Project Bluefield & Fire Emblem Fates: Devastation**_ follows the canon of two of **The Apocryphal One** 's works, _The Invisible Princess_ and _The Lost King_. Granted, there will be liberties taken here and there, and the outcome may not follow _Fire Emblem Fates: Aftermath_. However, I will be as faithful to her, ahem—"Chronicles of the Unexplored" series as possible.

All right, now to let an unexpected setting take center stage…

* * *

"Hot Dogs For Lunch"

"Night 3 of 36", [ "a.2012" ] - 13:37:04

017 "Bluefield"

"Costco Wholesale Food Court"

"[ Unknown City ]", "California", "U.S.A.", "Earth"

* * *

 _Recommended:_ **Boulevard of Broken Dreams** by Green Day

* * *

 _I walk a lonely road_

 _The only one that I have ever known…_

Beyond the earbuds, I could barely hear the cashier saying, "…here you go, sir!"

"Thanks," said the man in front of the woman in front of me.

As he passed me, I shuddered, pulling my thin grey jacket tighter as I walked up one space. Warm breath into my hands (no burning them)— _rub rub rub_ —I'm back to crossing my arms.

Geez… Being a literal freak of nature doesn't change the fact that you're still gonna get frozen.

Luckily, the One holding our table…at least she got the necessary cold-weather protection.

I yawned, looked down at the concrete as Billie Joe Armstrong reached the Boulevard's chorus.

 _My shadow's the only one that walks beside me_

 _My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating_

 _Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me_

 _'Til then, I walk alone…_

 _…Huh?_

That last part was because something caused me to look up. The lady's order must've been done with already. The cashier was beckoning me over.

Whoops.

"How can I help you?" the cashier asked as I walked up.

"Uhh, two hot dogs, please."

As the cashier left to get the order ready, I looked around, to my right. Past the line on my right, people were at the soft drink dispensers. On the right of that, people were at the condiment counter.

On the right of that, two tables along the wall, was—

"Here you go, sir." The cashier pushed forward two wrapped hot dogs and two drink cups. "That'll be three dollars twenty-eight."

"Thanks." After paying in cash, I put the returned seventy-two cents in my pocket and the food in my hands.

* * *

The two hot dogs had mustard, but only one had onions. One cup had Pepsi, while the other held lemonade.

Carefully, I sat down and layed the food out—mustard hot dog and lemonade go to the one across from me.

"Okay, I am _star_ ving." Picking up my hot dog, I started munching on one end. After I chewed and swallowed my bite, I looked up at her. Immediately, I clicked off Billie Joe singing about walking alone again. "Aren't you gonna eat?" I asked her, pulling out my earbuds.

She glanced up at me, somewhat startled. She'd changed into a white furred jacket, a black longsleeve underneath, white gloves, and new jeans. Her hair was tied into a ponytail, set around the nape of her neck, in a new tying band. The wristwatch on her left arm was simple, an analog number that I'd set to the "present day, present time" after buying it earlier.

"S-Sorry," she muttered. "It's just… Where—Where are the chopsticks?"

I raised one eyebrow. "They're where they're necessary—which, well, isn't here, I'm afraid."

 _Grrrrrrrwwwww…_

We both straightened when we heard that.

The woman blushed. I just shrugged and munched.

"Well," she sighed, "beggars can't be choosers, I suppose." Picking up her hot dog, almost as though it would come to life and scuttle away like a startled crab, she opened her mouth and bit off some of the end: beef, bun, mustard. She chewed seven times, swallowed, and took a drink from her lemonade via drinking straw.

I handed her a napkin, which she took. "So…what do you think?"

The woman wiped her mouth, setting down the napkin before she took a breath.

"I think," said Queen Mikoto of Hoshido, choosing her words not-too-carefully, "that this is one of the most unusual meals I have ever had."

"How so?"

"I'm not sure. I have…no frame of reference to compare to this. So…this is _meat_ …"

"Yeah."

"…placed in a bun of _bread_ …"

"Yeah."

"…and topped with this yellow _condiment_."

"Yes, that _is_ the gist of what lunch is."

Mikoto simply stared at it. Then she took another bite.

I chomped mine. After chewing enough, I slurped on my soda.

It likely would have made for quite an odd image: a royal lady, treating this silverware-free dish like any other; and then this guy across from her, eating his with a mix of having and lacking manners, with a metal device fastened to his wrist.

Except Mikoto would likely have been mistaken as a Japanese tourist or something; and the wall was on my left, so no One passing us would notice my ZeroDrive.

Well…if they noticed me at all.

"So." I dusted off my hands of crumbs and took another sip. "What are you thinking?"

Mikoto was about two-thirds done with hers. She looked up at me. "Hm?"

I tried to keep my exasperation in line. "I'd like to know what you're thinking right about now," I calmly reiterated.

Putting her hand up to her mouth to clear her throat, she wiped her mouth again and looked me in the eyes. "You can't tell?" she queried.

"Hey—I can't read minds. Just emotions and see visions of the future." I put my "accused" hands down. "Some things need to be worded out. I mean, look what's happened these past two times—simulation gives you fake life, silver bird falls out of the sky, guy falls out of silver bird, guy blows up fake life's day job, guy fights off monsters, guy gives back your memories, guy buys you a hot dog. You're covering it up now, but back there you were a lost dog in the middle of nowhere. You wanna know the only thing I know you _could_ be thinking right now?"

"What would that be, Bluefield?"

I shrugged. "…Must be one hell of a scary 'brave new world' you find yourself in, huh?"

Mikoto didn't say anything. Her gaze didn't waver, exactly. Just…drift to the concrete. The wall. Her hands in her lap, she took a moment before nodding reluctantly.

"Given the sitch, that's all I can safely figure," I stated. "Buildings of concrete and glass, metal carriages without horses, giant metal birds that needn't flap their wings, communication and information at your fingertips… Not like Hoshido _or_ Nohr."

I thought I saw the queen turn her head down by 1 degree, staring at her jeans. Clearly, she was hiding something.

…Whatever.

Hastily, I mashed my hot dog wrapper into a ball and sent it soaring into the trash bin. "…ehhhh…two points," I muttered, before addressing Mikoto. "Well, I'm gonna refill my drink. You want one, too?"

Surprised, she nodded. "All right. Lemon… Lemonade, was it?"

* * *

"Being a literal freak of nature doesn't change the fact that you're still gonna get frozen." - Just so you know, this happened before the war started. Again. Before the Ambush at Sea, to be specific. —Blu

"sitch" - Situation, obviously. —?

"Clearly, she was hiding something." - Looking back on it, she was probably afraid of possibly triggering the speak-not curse about Valla, especially in this unknown environment. —Blu

* Was it possible? —Kyoku

* Dunno. Wasn't willing to find out, I guess she was. —Blu


	11. Sparring at the Arena

**EDIT (7/29)** : Added Bladebow description at the bottom.

* * *

"Sparring at the Arena"

Kyoku

Arena (Centre), Fort Devas, Astral Plane

* * *

 _CLANG! —kk-kkkk—_

"What the—?!" Rinkah cried out.

The club she was using was a dowel of wood about a metre long or more, with three-quarters of its "business end" encased in a "coat" of rigged steel. The other end was wrapped taut with a rough grip, to ensure that its user's hands are less likely to lose purchase on it.

Causes may not include being stopped by unlikely weapons.

"Nope!" Gripping my Bladebow at the handle like an American baseball bat, I swung upwards from its horizontal position, above my right shoulder. As Rinkah stepped back, I used that movement to spin myself backward by a few metres, switching back to "bow mode".

The Glint Bladebow—my first weapon as a Zero. A foldable shortbow constructed from a steel alloy, a metre tall when fully deployed. Leather grip, cable-based string, and a curious set of aerodynamic blades jutting outward from the frame. Makes CQC viable without compromising long-range lethality.

Oh, yeah, and I store it in my forehead. Because no One can.

Hey—I didn't write the rules.

Rinkah breathed hard. For the first 40 seconds of our little Arena scuffle, I'd put her on the defensive: making her dodge arrow after arrow, keeping distance. But she saw a window: as I reached to my quiver to grab another few arrows, she closed the distance and clubbed the right side of my chest. Dropping my arrows, I fell to one knee as she brought the club down on me.

Or rather, _tried_ to.

"Pretty sneaky," the oni savage said, thumbing her nose with her free hand. "Guess you intruders have a few tricks up your sleeves."

I shrugged. "Hey, they're not all bad. Just us stray dogs howling in the dark."

The arrows I'd dropped were a few metres away from where I'd been—still usable. My opponent was a few paces further away.

"Clearly." Then Rinkah charged, club raised again. "RAH!"

"Tch!" As did I. The end was nigh.

…How do I keep _do_ ing that, anyway?

My legs slung me forward. The dirt I kicked up behind me flickered, rewound, set itself back on the surface. Rinkah, on the other hand, didn't have those quirks of being "nonexistent".

In a matter of seconds, I snagged up my arrows and rolled—just as Rinkah's strike met the ground where I'd been a second prior.

Grabbing my bowstring, I twisted back 180 degrees, knocking an arrow in place and letting fly. I was about to strike her in the chest, where the human heart is located.

At the same time, Rinkah turned to face her opponent, swinging her club backhanded—towards the right side of my face. She was about to strike me in the head.

One half-second later, several things happened all at once.

My arrow hit Rinkah's chest.

Rinkah's club hit my face.

And two flashes of blue energy erupted at the points of impact, sending us flying.

Throwing my Bladebow aside, I twisted in a fall to the ground. As sky and land tumbled in and out of my vision, I caught a glimpse of Rinkah about to land on her back, teeth visibly clenched.

Cloth rustled as my momentum ground to a halt on the dust. Winded, I found myself staring up at a distastefully bright sky.

Then, a magically-magnified mechanical voice said, triumphantly, _**"Tie!"**_

Figures.

I sat up, as though I was rising from the grave. Rinkah was picking herself up, setting her discarded club over her shoulder.

"Damn, that still hurt," she muttered as she strode over. Indeed, her chest was barely scratched from my arrow—a sign that the Astral Dragons' magic indeed worked. "Why did that end the match, anyway?"

"Because simple human physiology." Which I don't have. "If your heart or brain is damaged or destroyed, you're dead. Besides, this magic doesn't cover _all_ the bases. It can only handle so much."

Rinkah sighed. "Fair enough. Here," she said, reaching out her hand to me.

Seeing no reason not to, I took up her offer. "Thanks."

* * *

"Glint Bladebow" - Bladebows are two-function weapons used by 015 "Chisari" (nonexistent) and 015-R "Kyoku". The Bladebow is based on the bow; however, it features a set of blades that protrude from the handle and follow the length of the bow. This means that the Bladebow's strength as a bow isn't hampered by being grafted onto another weapon; and that the blades don't harm the user due to being supple for the bow's function. —?


	12. Subaki Meets…Tank!

**EDIT (10/20)** : Modified the beginning to be less misleading.

 _ **WARNING** : Some strong language_

* * *

"Subaki Meets…Tank!"

Cpl. Min-hi Seo

SAF Observations Platform "Deva Station", Astral Plane

* * *

One of my favorite ways of passing the time—ahead of doing inventory and playing _Portal 2_ —is usually to get my hands dirty with fixing machines. Usually tanks and trucks. Things like that.

Today, though, Subaki—one of Princess Sakura's retainers—was coming by to see what Deva Station currently had available. Apparently, he was damn good at inventory, as well.

Which wasn't what _I_ remembered him for, but, nevermind.

So I figured, as long as the Coalition and the Shell Armed Forces are stuck sharing the same plane, why not work together, compare notes?

So, here's how I met Sir Subaki of Hoshido.

* * *

It hadn't taken Subaki long to get here via his pegasus. However, he wasn't sure what Sam had meant when he said that I was in the Maintenance Bay.

Due to "the Arrival Incident", the MBTs (main battle tanks) had sustained some damage while crashing through the structure now known as Fort Devas. That meant we didn't have any mobile armor to use if the Umbrals or Lumenals showed up. So, we decided to add "Fix the M1A2s and T90-As" to the To-Do List.

When Subaki finally found the Maintenance Bay, I was finishing up with fixing the engine for "Big Betsy", one of the two M1 Abrams battle tanks aboard Deva Station. Its chassis had taken the brunt of the impacts, but we'd managed to replace the mangled parts. That left me with the controls and the modified fuel turbine, the latter of which rested on an out-of-the-way workbench.

"Whew…" Pulling away, I scraped one gloved hand against my forehead, replacing the thin layer of sweat with one of oil. "That should do it."

"Gangway, sir!" I heard some guys say. "Tank ammo comin' through!"

"Oh, sorry," said a voice I almost recognized. "Let me get out of your way, gentlemen."

Looking behind me, I saw two SAFs carrying an intact tank round for the Abrams past a guy in Hoshidan military garb. The Hoshidan himself was standing beside Big Betsy with the main cannon just behind his head. He had dark red hair like wine, yet I could tell he'd never touched the stuff himself.

It appeared that Sir Subaki had arrived.

Jumping down off the workbench, I nodded to the soldiers, who both grinned back. _Guess the salvage op is going swimmingly—no pun intended,_ I thought.

I turned back to face Big Betsy, which was when Subaki decided to turn around (presumably to look for me), not watching for obstructions until—

 _THUNK—!_ went the cannon's length.

"Ouch!"

 _Ohh, that is_ not _pleasant,_ I winced as the poor sky knight held his forehead in pain. A piece of wood and a brush clattered to the Maintenance Bay floor.

"Agh, for the—"

 _Oh, shit._

"Nonononono!" I rushed over to him, holding my arms out to get his attention. "Dont don't _don't!_ _Don't_ swear out loud!"

Subaki looked up at me. For a brief moment, I thought I could see a glint of something in his eyes. "Wh-What…?"

I sighed, relieved. "Sorry. It's just,"—and here, I nudged the Abrams tank with my right forearm—"Big Betsy here does _not_ like it when you swear out loud." I held out my right hand. "Min-hi. Burna said to expect you, Sir Subaki."

"Huh? Ah!" With a start, Subaki straightened up and gave me a deep bow. "My apologies, ma'am! I didn't mean to disgrace myself!"

Taken aback, I busted up. This is the sort of behavior that Burna, Sam and I would expect from new meat or something. Not people with nothing to lose. "Pffft-haha! What?! At ease 'n' all that, dude. I'm not much for etiquette."

The sky knight straightened up, confused. "Wh-What?"

"Just relax, yeah? Anybody would be thrown for a loop if they've never seen a place so alien to 'em, right? I know I was. It's nothing to be ashamed of."

Subaki looked down at my hand and eventually grasped it. The fabric felt well-worn. "Well…it's an honor to meet you, Min-hi."

I grinned crookedly. "Oh no, honor's all mine, sir. Now,"—I stooped down to grab the wooden board and brush, and offered them back to their owner—"I believe we have something to do?"

"Ah, yes!" Quickly, he snatched the stuff away. "We were going to compare our inventories, correct?"

"Yeah, hang on a tick…" I rushed back to the workbench, pulling out a clipboard and pen I'd stored there.

Within fifteen seconds, my gloves were on the table, and Subaki and I were outside. "Hold on…" said the knight.

"Hm? What's up?"

He pointed a finger toward my clipboard, a concerned look on his face. "Is that list…blank?"

"Hey," I shrugged, "I think it's best if you _see_ our inventory, not just read about it, so I'm dragging you along as I jot everything Deva Station down."

"That…actually makes sense, now that I think about it," Subaki realized. "Huh."

"Okay, let's start with the tanks—the battle kind. You're already mildly intimately familiar with Big Betsy…"

"Oh, gods, don't dwell on that, please?"

I snickered. "Sorry. Couldn't help myself. Now, to the main point…"

* * *

"…battle tanks aboard Deva Station." - Hang on a tick. How are the tanks supposed to get onto dry land if they're stuck on the platform? —Endra

* Apparently, they had aircraft meant to deal with that problem. Guess what happened to it when Deva Station got here. —Blu

* …Ohhhhh. So _that's_ what that mangled machine was. —Endra


	13. Ame-no-Tsurugi (雨の剣)

**Author's Notes** : So about two weeks ago, I watched _Shin Godzilla_ , the 2016 monster movie directed by Hideaki Anno. Let me tell you something: no _tokusatsu_ -style monster I've seen as a kid ever _gave me the creeps_ like the 2016 Godzilla has. It's definitely something worth checking out when Funimation does release the English dub.

So, why am I bringing it up? Well, it's given me some more concrete examples of ideas to work from for this fanfic, and _Project Bluefield_ in general. Heheheh…

But until then, I'd better let Blu say his piece. (Heads-up: This'll be one of the more expository-oriented drabbles, but that's thanks to me posting all of this in anachronic order.)

P.S.: Thanks to **The Apocryphal One** for advice on this one! Sorry for the bother! :D

* * *

"Ame-no-Tsurugi" (雨の剣)

Bluefield

Commercial District (West), Fort Devas, Astral Plane

* * *

When you find a guy holding your stuff, your first reaction—probably—is to tap his shoulder and tell him, "That's mine, sir."

So when I walked back into Andre's Smithy and found Prince Xander holding the ZeroSword—which, thank _freak_ , is safe to touch—what do you think my first reaction was?

I pinched the sides of my nose, under my glasses, before sighing. "Well, I guess it's only fair."

The crown prince turned to find me standing at the entrance, and his eyebrows jumped. "Ah… My apologies, Bluefield," he said. "I let my curiosity get the better of me."

We were both standing in the smithy's work area—him at the glowing forge, myself at the entranceway. There wasn't must in the way of lanterns, but what with a source of light already there, why have more than necessary?

I just shrugged. "Hey, you're talking to a dumbass whose curiosity's gotten him into more trouble than necessary. But you're nowhere _close_ to being in trouble with me."

Xander nodded—still somewhat apprehensive of me, but doing a fine job of hiding it. A far cry of the crown prince I'd had to fend off in Cyrkensia. Still, it was kinda hard to read his expression when his silhouette was looming at me from the forge.

"I see," he said, turning the blade over in his hands. "This is a…very unusual sword, to be sure. If I may ask, who created it?"

I strode over. "No clue, honestly," I admitted. "It was just given to me…and by that, I _also_ mean rammed through my chest."

Xander didn't comment. Didn't need to. He'd already seen evidence to that statement.

"If I may?" I held out my hand.

After he returned my sword, I gave it the once-over.

Then, I held up the ZeroSword—edge skyward, cold blade in my left hand—in front of my eyes. "What do you see on the other side of the blade, sir?" I inquired.

"What? Well…" Xander stepped closer, his eyes narrowing as if to focus on the sword—the blade, which protruded to my left. "I can see the interior of the smithy behind you, but it's…raining inside? The rain doesn't seem to be real… It's certainly not flooding the building."

"Okay. Anything else of interest?"

"Well, nothing else that I c—" Then he stopped at my face, and understanding dawned on his. "Wait…your right eye, it's…"

 _Shifting between blue and red again._

I nodded. "Yep," I confirmed as I took the sword away from my face. "It's part of my weapon's nature."

"If you don't mind my asking, Bluefield…what do you mean?" Xander inquired.

"Not at all." I stepped away from the glowing forge, grasping the ZeroSword in both hands. Handle to navel, tip level to my eyes. "This is the ZeroSword's default form, the Ame-no-Tsurugi," I explained. "In a certain tongue, it's a rough translation of 'the sword of the rain'."

For those who aren't familiar with my weapon, the ZeroSword's "default" blade is not composed of any known metal. In essence, Ame-no-Tsurugi is a window or lens to another dimension—a bluish-green window made steel. If One were to look at the flat of the blade, they would see the world on the other side. Well… _kind_ of; it's still not easy to explain. They would see rain through the lens—rain that passes through walls, ceilings, and floors. For lack of a better description: "rain that falls through reality". But what we see through the lens is actually a mirror for the weapon's actual function.

"Actual function?" Xander looked intrigued. Not frightened or anything.

"Yeah," I nodded, Ame-no-Tsurugi's ends in both hands again, left thumb rubbing the blade. "Ryoma's weapon, the Raijinto, harnesses lightning. _Your_ weapon, Siegfried, harnesses fire. But Ame-no-Tsurugi doesn't have an… _active_ elemental equivalent, I suppose you could say. And while you guys can hit enemies at medium range with your swords, _I_ have to resort to using a gun."

I thought I saw the prince's face twinge a bit—almost as if he knew he'd taken advantage of Siegfried's ability to do that. "Ah…I see," he acknowledged. "But…it _does_ have a power…?"

"Very perceptive, sir!" I nodded. "You're right: Ame-no-Tsurugi does have a _passive_ ability—one that you yourself have experienced, back when Cyrkensia was burning."

Xander paused, thinking back. Not that I could blame him; that incident _had_ occurred some months ago, after all.

Then his face lit up. "Ah… When we fought, I began to have this faint…feeling…that my eyes were slowly being…unclouded by hate."

My eyebrows went up. I had _not_ expected him to word it like that.

"Err…have I said something amiss, Bluefield?" You'd think that Xander was trying to tell a joke,

"Huh?" I blinked. "Oh, no, it's not what you said. Go on?"

Xander nodded, obliging, though still _mildly_ weirded out. "It was nothing like Azura's magic—that, I can say with certainty. But by the time you fled to the center of the town, to finish off the true enemy, I felt as though…I had the reality of the situation looking me in the eye, and I could faintly see it. It didn't change the outcome—I still ordered my forces to keep fighting—but for what felt like the first time since the blasted war started…I began to have doubts."

I nodded. "Yeah, that definitely sounds like Ame-no-Tsurugi, all right."

"How so?"

I held up the ZeroSword up. "Let me put it this way: Ame-no-Tsurugi's passive ability is called 'Prepare to Face the Truth'. It doesn't _completely_ lift the veil from your eyes—I mean, like you said, my fighting you didn't stop you from ordering your men to _keep frickin' fighting_. But what it _does_ do is quell the subject's stronger emotions at the moment, allowing for reason. I guess the idea is, it's harder to Face the Truth when you let your anger or grief rule your actions."

Xander nodded, a degree of understanding dawning on his face. "Ah, so your blade washes away impeding emotions, just as rain washes away impurities… Is that an accurate comparison?"

I looked at him, somewhat surprised. "Y-Yeah…just about," I confirmed.

The crown prince of Nohr frowned when I said that—his default face. "What is it?" he asked, sounding concerned. "Did I say it differently than—"

I snapped out of my mild daze. "Huh-What—Oh, no!" I sputtered quickly. "No, it's not that at all! In fact…back at Castle Shirasagi, there was _one_ other prince who put it the _exact_ same way."

It didn't take long for Xander to put two and two together to make four. "Prince Ryoma said that, as well?" he guessed, a rueful smile spreading on his face.

"Yep, word-for-word," I nodded. "Though, he was certainly weirded out by the design of the handle—almost as equally as the blade itself."

That's when an old, gravelly voice called from the entrance. "Comin' back in."

Xander and I both turned to find Andre walking back into his shop. "Your Highness," he said, bowing respectfully to Xander.

Xander reciprocated. "Sir Andre."

With that done, the musclebound blacksmith turned and nodded to me, just as I resheathed the ZeroSword. "Bluefield."

I bowed. "Thanks for letting me use your forge, sir. I appreciate it."

"Ah, don't mention it. In fact,"—and here, Andre clapped a hand on my shoulder, which almost made me stumble—"thank _you_ for holdin' down the fort with me smithy."

I shrugged, letting out a weak chuckle. "Gotta admit: I could've done better on that front. Anyway, here ya go."

But Andre, seeing where this was going, held up a hand before I could fish out the sack of gold coins. "Oh, come on," he croaked, smiling. "Ye really don't have to—"

"Well, then, give it to someOne who _does_ need it, yeah? Or donate it." I shrugged. "Either way, this is yours to do with as you see fit, all right?"

The old man chuckled. "Heh, the stubbornness o' youth… Okay, I hear ye," he relented. "Jus' leave it on the workbench over there, an' I'll take care not to let it get nabbed."

"All right, then," I nodded. "See you guys later."

Xander nodded, smiling. "Likewise."

As I dropped off the gold and walked out, I could hear the prince talking with Andre—something about Siegfried needing some maintenance.

An image of Falchion—Marth's blade, and the version which Chrom wielded—flickered in my mind, but I didn't pursue that thread any further.

* * *

"I confirmed as I took the sword away from my face." - I can believe that people skimming through this will misconstrue this sentence into something more brutal. —Noan

* Agh! Don't _do_ that! —Trey

"Xander nodded, obliging, though still mildly weirded out." - You weird _everyOne_ out, dude. You're _weird._ —Noan

* No more weirder than _you._ —Blu

"…put two and two together to make four." - Thank you for not saying five; I woulda been _very_ upset. —Noan

* Trust me, Asscave: it wasn't for you. —Blu

"…the musclebound blacksmith turned and nodded to me, just as I resheathed the ZeroSword." - Wait, how _did_ Andre not get a heart attack from seeing you do that? —Vespyr

* Actually, I think he witnessed Kyoku or Dreyza unsheathe theirs before he got here. —Blu


	14. Children Should Be Children

**Author's Notes** : Important news the end! …I mean, the bottom!

Thanks once again to **The Apocryphal One** , for helping me out of a slump here. :)

Now, here's to hoping…

* * *

"Children Should Be Children"

Dreyza

Military District (East), Fort Devas, Astral Plane

* * *

"You know, Dreyza," Hinoka said, looking over at me, "when I look at the both of you, you're almost nothing like your brother."

We were both leaning on the wooden railing on the northern side of the district, looking over the blue, sunless horizon past the castle. We'd just finished racing around Fort Devas—in the air. Hinoka had nearly beaten Subaki near the end, but GreyScale and I had come through in the final lap. (Officially, though, the win would be a tie between the two sky knights. Which I could live with.)

I chuckled at her statement. "Oh, yeah?" I asked her, genuinely curious (though I felt I knew some of the answers already). "What makes you say that?"

The warrior princess rubbed her chin, thinking. "Well, it's…how should I put this…? Well, there's how you both fight. Bluefield seems like he's a self-taught vagrant…makes it up as he goes along. You, on the other hand… It's almost as if you were trained to fight from birth."

I could see where Hinoka was coming from. What with Blu's 37 days stuck at Castle Shirasagi, I guess she would have observed his fighting style at some point.

I looked at her. "You could tell that much?"

"Not just me. Ryoma saw it when he fought you in Cyrkensia. 'A force to be reckoned with,' he told me."

I pursed my lips. "Well…as ashamed as I am to admit it, you're pretty much correct, Your Highness."

Hinoka's expression changed from neutrality, to one of confusion. "I am…?" she asked. "What about?"

The last two words, I noticed, were spoken with caution.

"The being-trained-from-birth thing." I gave her a wry look. "Child soldiers… It's like a recurring theme with most of us Ashen Wolves."

Her eyes went wide, jaw down. "Wh- _What?!_ How?!"

I winced. "The _how,_ I'd rather not talk about. But yeah, I was trained to kill. Same as you."

"Hold on…" An expression of horror dawned across her horizon. "Are you saying that Bluefield _wanted_ —"

No.

"Stop right there, Princess," I warned, my index finger pointing 10 degrees or so away from heavensward. "Bluefield _never_ agreed to us getting kidnapped and almost brainwashed. Hell, it's _thanks_ to him that we never finished our training—that we got out. So don't ever _insinuate_ that he _wanted_ a group of soulless child soldiers."

"I—"

"One other thing: I wouldn't wish anyone to be a child soldier. But I _absolutely_ wouldn't wish my worst enemy to be a Zero. I know Bluefield wouldn't."

"…I…" After a moment, Hoshido's warrior princess looked away. "…I'm sorry, Dreyza. I wasn't thinking straight."

"…no, it's…fine." I leaned back from the railing, hands gripping it anyway as I stared up at the cloudy sky. "I mean, I wouldn't blame Blu if he didn't bring it up. Besides…it wasn't _all_ painful. I got to meet people I wouldn't have ever met otherwise. If anything, I _do_ hate the fact that people tried to decide our lives—our fates—for us. Not like you, Hinoka. _You_ had a choice."

She paused, shaking her head. "…Yes, but… _That's…_ " Then she rubbed her eyes with the palms of her hands. "…Dammit."

A moment. And then…

"…You know," she began. "I don't think I ever gave it much thought until now—and, I know it's a bit hypocritical of me to say something like this…"

"…Go on…?"

"…but, I don't think anyone should _have_ to become a soldier as a child. Certainly not like I did, being royalty and all. But that aside… Children should be children, you know?"

Well, she _did_ warn me. "Yeah. Wholehearted agreement. But…do you regret your choice?"

"Looking back on it…no. I don't. Even with rescuing Kamui as my motivation, I soon found another: to protect my people—the people my family is sworn to protect. I still do." Hinoka leaned forward against the railing. "But…every now and again, I do wonder: what if I never saw that pegasus flying overhead one day? What if I never tried to sneak out with one, on that snow-filled night? What if Mother _had_ convinced me not to risk my life in battle as a sky knight?"

"Then you would've been just a normal kid—same as any other." I paused. "…Well, _if_ you ignored the Dragon Vein thing."

Chuckling. I guess Hinoka found that amusing. "Oh, that's right…"

"You also wouldn't've met…half of your loyal retainers? And your hair wouldn't be short. Oh— _and_ you wouldn't have punched my brother. That, too."

Immediately, Hinoka started. "Wha—but I _apologized_ to him!" she exclaimed. "Don't tell me you're going to hold that over me!"

This time, _I_ chuckled. "'Course not! I'm just saying that what _did_ happen is all in the past—my whole point."

"—Huh?"

"You now have years of experiences that won't change, just from the path you chose. Regrets notwithstanding, you _now_ know that children don't belong on the battlefield, right?—but you can't change the fact that you did just that."

"…Yeah, I guess you have a point." Hinoka looked at me. "What about you, Dreyza? Do you regret—I, yeah, you said it doesn't matter, but—do you regret _that_ part of your past?"

"Hey—way I see it, people are who they are _in spite of_ their pasts, not because of 'em. I may be a Zero, but I'll disregard dichotomy BS and say I'm not exempt from that statement. Besides…" I shrugged. "Can I really regret the only way my life began?"

"…I suppose that's true."

Another moment of silence. The ocean quivered.

"…Tell you what: on the other side of this war, is a world where there's no need for children to march to their deaths." Turning, I held out my hand to Hinoka. "Think we can all open up the path there?"

Hinoka, the Warrior Princess of Hoshido, looked down at my hand, and a smile of mild determination slowly spread over her face. "Yeah," she said, grasping into a handshake. "I _know_ we can."

* * *

"Bluefield _never_ agreed to us getting kidnapped and almost brainwashed. …" - They're not going to explain to them how the…ahem—"R"s were created and raised? —Dr. Valerie Quinton

* This world doesn't have the means to "flash-grow" human Shells, Doc. Besides, it's not important. —Blu

* …Fair enough. —Dr. Quinton

"… Oh— _and_ you wouldn't have punched my brother. That, too." - A story for another time. —Burna

"Can I really regret the only way my life began?" - Well, I sure haven't. —Dreyza

* * *

 **Author's Notes** : Okay, ever since the last post, a lot has happened with me in a short span of time. It probably won't seem that way to you, but it's likely because it all happened while I was stuck figuring this drabble out. But the important thing is this: some things about my work and schedule will be changing soon. Here's the list of points:

 **First** : I have discovered Archive of Our Own, and am currently re-posting some of my stuff there, including _Project Bluefield_. As much as I appreciate this website for connecting me with some wonderful people and ideas, the fact remains that the publishing process for fanfics here is…inefficient and time-costly. Archive, on the other hand, is more streamlined and less frustrating. Now, don't take this to mean "I'm abandoning this site for another one." I _will_ keep posting my works on this site, but Archive will be my primary focus from here on out. But as for things that _are_ on this site…

 **Second** : Now, I neglected to mention this _months_ ago, but I am also editing another fanfic: _**And So We Fight**_ , a _Hyrule Warriors_ fic by **The Fighting Irishman**. (P.S.: Bonus points if you can tell me where Blu was reading that very fic.) Why didn't I bring it up before now? Well, aside of not wanting to brag about it, the main reason was that I'd had a fully-edited chapter, ready to send to TFI…before I accidentally deleted it from my iPod, which was the only place it existed on.

Oops, right? Well, that one event pretty much beheaded my willingness to edit it for a while. However, I'm getting back into it now, because I intend to keep my word to TFI—and because I _really_ enjoyed _**And So We Fight**_. As a result, however, my already-nonexistent update schedule will be messed up further. So, I'll add "whenever I'm not editing others' works" to the short list of update criteria I have. Eheheh… ;^^ (;_;)

 **Third** : The TV Tropes site has a few new fanfic pages now. Now, yes, I _am_ bringing it up partially because _Project Bluefield_ now has one such page, which is my fault. (Before you ask: yep, _And So We Fight_ also has a page.) However, for those of you who enjoy the juxtaposition of "our world" and "others' worlds"—and probably love lampshade humor and deconstructions—I would like to direct your attention to another recent entry, this one from FF-dot-net as well: _**Hyperdimension Neptunia is Real!**_ by **Some Random Tosser**.

Bet you weren't expecting _that,_ huh? Well, I would not blame you. I wouldn't have expected it, either.

But I _do_ think it's a well-earned recommendation. The author basically took a game that he admittedly didn't like, and turned it into something that was surprisingly enjoyable. Hell, it made me smile at the sheer absurdity of Neptune, Jacob and the rest of the gang's shenanigans; but also made me think "oh, _crap_ " when something I didn't expect to happen the way it does…does.

Now, SRT's recently posted a new chapter after a long period of silence, and I'm glad to say—without spoiling anything—it's definitely the level of funny and sadness that I'd expect from him. If you are interested in reading something of a different flavor of "medieval fantasy" or "medieval fantasy plus self-insert deconstructions", go give _**Hyperdimension Neptunia is Real!**_ a read and leave SRT some reviews!

Well, that's about everything I wanted to talk about before next post. Until then, I hope you had a happy Thanksgiving (or whatever-have-you), and will enjoy the future holidays!

* * *

 ** _49 27 6c 6c 20 4b 65 65 70 20 43 6f 6d 69 6e 67_**


	15. My Care Package (Trey 2016)

"My Care Package" (Trey 2016)

Trey

Residential District (North), Fort Devas, Astral Plane

* * *

It felt like forever since Miriam had sent us a care package.

The last one had been during our tenure at New Los Angeles (which was last year, technically). Between that, the Byakuya and Anya campaigns, and the world-hopping between all that until now, it felt like it's been _years._ I know that's not the case, but it sure felt like it.

So, when the packages arrived at the Residential District, we Wolves could add one more on the List of Reasons to Smile This Year.

* * *

"Oh, now what's that?"

I looked up.

Luckily, Oboro didn't give me any reason to flinch.

I was sitting on the front steps of the Library, having already looked through my own delivery. Miriam had given us more foodstuffs and trinkets, but had slipped in a few seed packets: potatoes, tomatoes, strawberries. Somehow, she'd guessed that someOne (if not us) might need them—and considering that the gathering spots had been lost, she was right.

But Oboro, who had been passing by, wasn't asking about that—rather, she was asking about the new blue cloth charm that I was holding in my hand.

"Huh?" I had to glance back at it before my brain clicked. "Oh—this, this is one of Miriam's good-luck volansparrows."

"Volansparrow?"

"Yeah. Back where Miriam comes from, it's a mythical bird that was doomed to fly forever—hence the prefix in its name."

The Hoshidan spear fighter raised her eyebrows. "Huh. Weird that a bird like that would be associated with good luck."

I shrugged. "Like I said: mythical. Anyway, Miriam—she's my legal guardian, by the way—always makes one for each of us, so add to her usual two, and you get a total of seven volansparrow charms every year."

"Two?" Oboro furrowed her brow. "Where'd the two come from?"

Ah. Right.

"Well…" I clenched my hand around the cloth bird, squeezing the wings together as I brought it to my chest. "Before Dreyza, Vespyr, Kyoku and I came along… Miriam had two sons. Her pride and joy, she said once. They both joined the army to defend their home—and…they died doing just that. So she wasn't exactly…enthused about us potentially getting involved in a war—especially since a war isn't what killed her children."

"O-Oh…" Oboro winced, her expression shifting to sympathy. "And…you're here now, dealing with _another_ war…"

I looked at her. "Don't worry—it's not really your fault. Besides, she's made her peace with it. She told me that looking after us was one of the most rewarding experiences she'd had in a while. Although…I _have_ seen a father lose his son, so I can sympathize with Miriam losing hers, if only by a little."

Sighing, I pocketed the new charm.

"On a happier note… It looks like Miriam's sent some desserts again!" I said as I rustled through the box, in an awkward attempt at changing topics. My impromptu search yielded a small box of bubbly chocolate rectangles. "Would you like to try one, Oboro?"

"Chocolate, huh…? Well, I suppose it's worth trying." Taking one from my outstretched hand, Oboro sniffed it cautiously before taking a nibble.

"…Uh, how is it?"

She blinked a few times, let her eyebrows go up, and the rest of the chocolate bit vanishes atop her tongue.

"Huh... Hey, mind if I have a few more? For Lord Takumi and Hinata."

"Oh—um, sure! Of course."

* * *

"volansparrow" - (Pronunciation: **vol** -un- **spar** -oh)

"Don't worry—[this war is] not really your fault." - After all, humans are beings mainly ruled by emotion—emotion capable of driving people to irrational action. —?

"…I _have_ seen a father lose his son…" - Speaking of, I wonder how Karl's doing now? —Kyoku

"…a small box of bubbly chocolate rectangles." - Ah, just like the Aero chocolates from Japan! —Blu

* * *

 **Author's Note** : Have a very Merry Christmas, everybody!


	16. Come Hood and High Collar

**Author's Note** : AGH! WRITER'S BLOCK! WHY MUST THOU TORMENT ME THIS YEAR?!

Yeah, sorry for not posting for a while. College is still going on for me, so I'm putting up with that. Plus, I'm planning on starting _Project Bluefield 2010_ (the one set in _Final Fantasy X_ ), but that's going a bit slow.

Anyway, apologies if this drabble seems a bit exposition-dump-y. I try to avoid that thing, having seen it at its worst in _Magna Carta 2_. Also, I've taken a few cues from _**after the quake**_ by Haruki Murakami—for example, the title isn't important.

Hope you enjoy!

* * *

"Come Hood and High Collar"

Bluefield

Residential District (North), Fort Devas, Astral Plane

* * *

It was raining _ridiculously_ hard as I slipped into the Library.

"Dammit, that gust was harsh…" I muttered as I shut the double doors, keeping out the elements.

I wasn't _soaked,_ necessarily, but I definitely needed to hang up my blue jacket. Thank goodness there was a coatrack by the entrance—or is it a "cloakrack"? Setting down my backpack, I hung up the jacket.

Wiping off my glasses, I shoved them back onto my face and looked around. Hundreds of books were crammed into well-maintained wooden bookshelves. A familiar image. Shame that there wasn't much in the way of familiar contents, but oh well.

Grabbing my backpack from the ground, I walked through the circular chamber. Eventually, I found a table that gave me a good view of the castle entrance. The illusory soldiers outside were standing guard, a thankless task that no sane person would ever take.

Sighing, I set down my backpack, sat in the nearest chair, and—

"Well, if it isn't the Demon of the Ashen Wolves."

Beat.

I looked pointedly across the table. "…Did you _really_ have to startle me, Prince Leo?"

Sure enough, Nohr's royal prodigy was sitting on the other side of the table. Looked just as intimidating and calculating in the candlelight as he would atop his trusty steed, Brynhildr in hand. Pieces of loose parchment and maps were scattered in front of him. The lamp beside him cast an eerie shadow on the bookcase behind him, as if something was walking away from its coffin.

Of course, I knew better.

Leo blinked. "Ah, my apologies, Bluefield. I was merely pouring over these strategic assignments when you barged in."

"Barged in, eh? Well, apologies for being inconsiderate, Your Highness," I said, fishing out a book from my pack—slightly damp, but otherwise undamaged. "But what brought this on?"

"We're working alongside a military force the likes of which we have never seen before. I've been studying how these Ess-Ay-Eff types fight." He exhaled. "Even with a small number of men and women, they can easily surpass any military force in our world. That's why it's a relief that they can't simply deploy their forces under normal circumstances."

"Pretty sure they'd get in deep trouble if they just up and did that," I pointed out. "'sides, you have Burna to thank for that. She convinced them to keep their military footprint on your side of the world to a minimum. They'll only intervene if the Umbrals or Lumenals attack."

"Ah, yes, the Umbrals…" He shuddered a little. "We're quite fortunate that you and yours are here. I never thought I'd owe my life to a strange hooded individual such as yourself."

"And the same to the high collared prince, Your Highness." I paused. "No offense meant."

Prince Leo sighed. "…None taken. Right back at you, in fact."

"Meh, don't worry about that. I've been called worse. Way worse. Stuff even _Niles_ wouldn't dare utter."

His eyebrows went up at that. "Gods."

"Yep. …Okay," and here I was just talking to myself, "time to pick up where I left off." I cracked open the novel at the bookmark.

Apparently, my being there was distracting him. "Why walk through the downpour to read here, anyway?" he asked. "That 'Silver Bird' of yours is shelter enough for that, is it not?"

I pursed my lips briefly. "True, but a library like this is a bit more, ah…home-y? Yeah. It's a tad more familiar for me. _But,_ if I'm distracting you from your studies, Your Highness, then I'll quickly relocate my ass somewhere else—the opposite end of the building, perhaps?"

"Oh, no. No, sorry. I didn't mean to imply that, Bluefield. It's just…well…"

I looked over at him again. "Hm? What's up?"

Leo kept his face neutral, but I could tell he was trying to decide on something. In a brief instant, I remembered the young man who'd declared that he'd always hated Prince Corrin, his brother—the young man whom I tackled off of his horse and onto the muddy forest floor.

In the same instant, I also remembered the young man who'd declared that he'd always hated Prince Kamui, his brother—and how I merely waved him off with a "Well, uh…bye?"

Of course, I knew better.

Eventually, Leo sighed and looked up at me. "Okay. I know that you and your fellow Zeros won't take credit for it. And after seeing what you can do, I can get an inkling of why that is. But no matter how I look at it, I know one thing for certain: you were doing something important—something that we couldn't, because we let the proxy war blind us to the truth."

"Okay, Your Highness—"

But he kept going. "You and yours have stood with my brother the day he shunned both kingdoms—and you've stood with him to this very day. Beyond that, you've done so while fighting off unworldly monstrosities and our own forces. Frankly, neither Kamui nor you should have had to deal with such odds without support. I am…very ashamed of myself, for not believing in him—and being jealous of you. That a group of outsiders, not family, were fighting to protect my brother. So, I wanted to tell this to you, as just as I have told your sister. I apologize greatly for leaving you with a great burden…and my sincerest gratitude for looking out for our brother."

I was speechless. I couldn't think of anything to say right then.

Well, his heart was in the right place. He was definitely being honest with me. I could tell that much. And judging by what he said about Dreyza, his remorse was real.

But I still had to say something.

"I… Okay. Let's, uh, get a few things straight," I said, my book set down on the table, almost forgotten. "First: yes, I'm still a bit upset about how _everybody_ got blinded by their emotions, but—hey, that's humanity for ya. Second: yes, it's also hard to see the real cause of this joke of a war when the culprits are invisible. Third: don't worry, I've dealt with _'all-the-world-against-us'_ situations before. Fourth: I sincerely hope we can fix that, now that we're all in the same boat. Fifth: Apology accepted, and anytime."

Finally, I exhaled.

"Geez… I do _not_ envy your eldest brother, Leo. I _really_ hate having to give impromptu speeches."

Despite himself, Leo chuckled at that. "I'll keep that in mind, Bluefield. I'll let you get back to your book, then."

"Okay, thank you," I nodded, putting my earbuds in as I cracked the book open again. "Now," I muttered quietly, "where _was_ I…?"

* * *

"…the Demon of the Ashen Wolves." - Not the kind of reputation that a law-abiding citizen would want, right? —Skulden

"… Stuff even _Niles_ wouldn't dare utter." - Was this sort of thing common before we met? —Dreyza

* Unfortunately… —Bluefield

"Silver Bird" - You're not gonna tell me where that vessel came from, are you? —Min-hi

* NO. —Blu

"Okay, Your Highness—" - Why did he apologize to Bluefield, too? Wasn't Dreyza enough? —Vespyr

* I guess he wanted to cover his bases with Prince Xander's "Ashen Wolf counterpart". I probably would have done the same. —Kyoku

"I've dealt with _'all-the-world-against-us'_ situations before." - Ah, yes, the Lanzheim Civil War. What a joke that one was… —?

"… I _really_ hate having to give impromptu speeches." - MBTI analysis: INTP. — _from_ Psychological Record: 017 "Bluefield"


	17. Preparing To Have Nice Things

"Preparing To Have Nice Things"

Kyoku

Agriculture District (Northwest), Fort Devas, Astral Plane

* * *

Rustling through the pile of salvaged tools, I dug out a creaky pole of wood with a set of broken bronze prongs attached to one end.

My brow furrowed. "Huh. Well, _that's_ not gonna be very helpful at all."

I looked up. Thanks to Kamui, the creation of the Agriculture District meant that the army could transition from living off SAF rations. Of course, you can't live off the bounty of the earth without the tools and know-how to reap it (sorry, Trey).

Which was why I volunteered to make sure that the farming tools that Fort Devas _already_ had were useable. At the edge of the district, I was working next to the tool shack, meaning I was now sorting what was useful—and what wasn't—beside the ocean below us.

Sighing, I tossed the rotten, rusty pitchfork into the sea behind me. No use for unreliable tools—and we had more than enough firewood. _That's a shame,_ I thought. _How are we gonna deal with the hay?_

 _Ker-SPLOOSH!_

I scratched the back of my head and dug out another piece, and my eyebrows went up. _Oh, now_ you _might be more useful…_

* * *

With the sorting done, I headed over to the fields, that "useful" farming tool from earlier slung over my shoulder.

Thanks to the astral plane's properties, it's possible for the army to grow and harvest a small crop every day. Now, instead of almost tasteless (and/or awful-tasting) squares of nutrition, Kamui and the others can actually eat fruits, rice, bread, and vegetables. Subaki would be glad for something to work with, certainly.

That said, we needed to till the fenced-off squares of earth—make them suitable for farming at all. When Kamui offered to use the Dragon Vein to do that, though, everybody stopped him. I guess they don't want to rely on the prince 100% of the time. Besides, having the district grown out of the sea at all was enough.

Which—fine.

But I'm digressing.

Mozu was slowly guiding a front-positioned plough through the field, sweat dripping from her brow. She was certainly stronger than her appearance suggested—killing a boar with a knife is no easy feat. Of course, compressed earth is much tougher than boar tissue.

"Hoo…" she breathed. "All right, I can do this…"

I stopped at the low wooden fence. "Hey, Mozu?" I said, holding a hand up.

The villager turned to look at me, startled. "Wh—Oh, it's only you, Kyoku."

"Sorry. Did I scare you?"

"Y-Yeah, a little bit. Sorry."

I shrugged. "Eh, don't sweat it. But speaking of sweat—need some help with tilling the soil?"

"Oh…sure! I'd mighty appreciate that!" Then Mozu's smile faded. "Wait…are you going to use _that?_ "

I looked back at the ploughing rig slung over my shoulder. You know—the wooden object that you strap to two horses or oxen, who then drag it along as you keep it on track? This one was in surprisingly good condition, especially since it clearly hadn't been used in years.

I looked back at Mozu. "Yes, I am. Actually, can you help me with it?"

She tilted her head in confusion. "Uh, sure, but… How are _you_ gonna use it? We can't just lash it onto the pegasi, and Sir Gunter's horse probably won't like it."

Setting the plough down against the fence, I took a few steps back and fiddled with my ZeroDrive. "Don't worry—we won't actually need to call for them."

A few seconds later, that familiar tingling sensation came…the light bending around me…the feeling of dividing myself…

* * *

Kyoku ("R")

* * *

"K-Kyoku?!"

I only barely registered Mozu's shocked outburst.

I shook myself off before looking over to my right. My gold-furred twin, "L" scratched behind his ear with his hind leg, before glancing over at me, tongue waggling out of his open maw.

Becoming a pair of _shīsā_ was discombobulating at first. Still is. But at the very least, said pair of me wasn't in danger of passing out for hours anymore.

We both looked at Mozu, who looked as though we'd come from the moon. She took her hands away from her mouth and hesitantly spoke. "…Um, wh-which one of you is K-Kyoku?"

Oh, yeah.

Even though we could both do it, L spoke up.

 _"Both of us, ma'am,"_ he replied, maw unmoving. _"Now then—Mozu, would you please strap that plough onto us?"_

"Oh, uh, sure!" She clambered over the fence, grabbing the plough as she did so. "Okay, so, this strap goes here, and…"

Two minutes later, we were outfitted and ready at the edge of the first patch. My snout itched a little from having a harness strapped to it, but I tried not to pay it much mind. Meanwhile, L looked back at the plough, which was now ready to rip up the earth.

 _"Ready?"_ he asked past his mane.

From behind the plough, Mozu nodded. "Ready as I'll ever be, sirs!"

I looked over at L. _You ready, too?_

He grinned at that. _Whenever you R. …Oh, hey, an English pun._

That…was actually pretty hilarious.

Anyway, with that, all looked forward. _"Okay,"_ L called out, _"heave…"_

 _"…hoooooo!"_

* * *

Burna

* * *

I was heading back to Deva Station when I passed by the Agriculture area and nearly had a heart attack.

No, not because of a certain pair of beasts that were inexplicably churning up the field. _That_ was…almost normal.

For a moment, I felt as though an old friend had appeared before me, from the ashes.

And then she was gone, replaced by Kyoku's twin lion-like forms. They continued plowing the earth, with that girl—Mozu—close behind. They seemed pretty engrossed in their work at the moment.

Sighing, I continued on my way.

I know it's stupid, but I couldn't help but think of what Chisari would have said, were she here. Maybe, "I don't think I ever did _that_ when I was 17."

* * *

" _shīsā_ " - Okinawan guardian spirits, from the island of Okinawa, Japan, Earth. Appearing as a cross between a lion and a dog, these creatures tends to appear in pairs, side-by-side whenever possible. _Shīsā_ also appear to have a habit of keeping their mouths either closed or open. As they tend to look the same, the main distinguishing feature among a pair is the mouth: one tends to have its mouth open, while the other has its mouth shut. It is believed that, in the case of the decorative _shīsā_ statues, the open-mouth one on the left wards evil spirits away, while the close-mouth one on the right keeps the good spirits within the threshold. —Vaire

"Mozu" - Full first name: Mozume. —?


	18. Selfishness

"Selfishness"

Dr. Valerie Quint, M.D.

Medical Wing, Deva Station, Astral Plane

* * *

" _Whoa_ , hold it—you can't go in here, ma'am."

Closing the pale-blue curtain, I turned from my sleeping patient to look towards the doorway. "Hm?"

Out in the hallway, the soldiers standing guard at Medical were blocking someone from getting inside. She was easily a head shorter and had short pink hair, Immediately, I recognized her as one of the recent recruits to Prince Kamui's group—the younger princess of Hoshido, Sakura. She was nervously gripping a staff-like object to her chest.

"P-Please, sirs!" She sounded kinda scared of the guards, who both had. "I heard about the attack, and I w-I want to h-help!"

"Look—Your Highness," the guy on the right said, staying relatively cool-headed, "I appreciate the thought. Really. But you needn't worry. Our doctors can take care of them just fine."

I knew some of our men were pretty nervous about letting Prince Kamui's group enter Deva Station, especially because they had ways of teleporting over here from out of nowhere. At least we weren't being overly hostile to them—just cautious. That other Hoshidan—I think her name was Oboro?—certainly seem to understand cautious.

I sighed. There wasn't any room for this.

Carrying the clipboard in the crook of my arm, I stood up and hobbled over to the doorway.

"I-I know that," the princess said (she sounded close to tears), "but I c-can't sit around while the p-people who helped us are s-suffering!"

The soldier on the left sighed. "Ma'am, would you please step back?"

"Hey," I cut in.

All three of them looked at me.

"We're all on the same side, right?" I looked between the two guards. "Let the lady through, squids."

They nodded. "Doctor," they said, stepping aside.

Princess Sakura stepped through onto the linoleum floor, and faced me. Without a wasted moment, she bowed to me, hair curtaining her face. The staff's paper tassels(?) floated back down. "Th-Thank you, doctor," she said to the floor.

That…took me aback.

"Eh, it's no problem," I waved off. "Just—don't hit anybody with that staff, and we'll be just peachy."

"O-Oh, it's not a weapon," Sakura said, righting herself. "W-Where we come from, rods and s-staves are special tools of healing. We use them to knit b-broken bones and open wounds back together."

"With magic, right?"

"Y-Yes, that's right."

"Then I assume that means you're a combat medic."

"Th-That's a pretty harsh way of p-putting it, Doctor…?"

"Quint," I said, bowing as much as my leg would let me. "I believe we've met, Princess. Doctor Valerie Quint of the SAF—at your service, Your Highness."

"Ah, n-nice to meet you, Doctor Quint." The princess put one hand over her heart. "My name is Sakura."

"Honor to meetcha, milady. Now," I nodded towards my current patient, "let me show you how one of my charges is currently doing."

We both headed back to the hospital bed I'd just left, shoe heels clicking against the linoleum. The beeps and whirrings of life-maintaining machines hummed around us.

"I-Is your leg okay?"

I glanced at her. "My leg? Yeah, it's fine. Just a bit stiff, is all."

At least, that was my _right_ leg.

Anyway, we got to the bed, where I grasped the curtain and turned to look at the princess. With my free hand, I put my index finger to my lips.

Princess Sakura nodded in understanding, and quietly, I drew the veil back.

"—!" Wisely, the girl covered her mouth.

"Still out cold," I sighed. "No intracranial bleeding, thank God, but he's still suffered some serious concussions and bone fratures. Nice to know that a 'Stoneborn' can put a soldier out of action for a few weeks."

Sakura looked at me. "Y-You mean, the living rock m-monsters? B-But I thought the magic for that c-came from Nohr…"

"As I've heard. But who's to say that the Unspeakables can't use it?" I closed the curtain and faced Lady Sakura again. "Anyway, Princess: I know you want to help, and I won't lie—I'd appreciate all the help I can get. But I promise: the men and women here _won't_ die. Not on our watch."

"I-I know you'll do everything in your power to save them, Doctor," the princess managed. "But I s-still want to help! I can't stand people s-suffering like he is—because of _us!_ "

I inhaled. "…Can I show you something, Your Highness?"

"H-Huh? Oh, s-sure."

I dragged over a stainless steel chair up, and—very carefully—propped my left foot onto the seat.

Sakura looked at my olive-drab-covered leg, confused. "Th-That's the leg you were l-limping on, isn't it?"

I shrugged. "Not limping. Here, touch this part." I motioned to the outside of my leg, three inches below my pants pocket.

Hesitantly, Princess Sakura reached out her free hand, placing it on my upper thigh. "…what?" she breathed, confused.

Not that I blamed her.

As she drew her hand back, she looked up at me. "Your leg, is it…?"

I looked at her. "'fraid so, Princess. Do you…want to look?"

Sakura shook her head. "N-No, to be honest… B-But! Maybe I should. I need to see how b-bad it was."

I nodded slowly. Getting used to this, she meant. "…All right."

I pulled up the pant leg up to the knee, to reveal to her what had become normal to me: steel plating over plastic, screws and such. A kneecap-esque piece over the automated joint. All modeled into a useable limb.

Sakura stepped back in horror, staring at my prosthetic for a few seconds. "W-W-What…did _that_ to you?"

"The prosthetic, _I_ personally asked for. The loss of my organic leg, well…" I tilted my head to one side. "that was my fault."

"Wh-Why is that?"

I scratched the back of my neck. "I was on combat medic duty back home. Umbrals were attacking a major trade port. One of our guys got bloodied pretty bad, but I refused to leave him there. I was so focused on patching him up, I…never noticed one of _them_ coming up from behind me."

I rubbed the stump, remembering the jaws that dug deep into it.

"I woke up [ REDACTED ] later. Aside of the loss of limb, I'd suffered damage to my ribs and some blood loss. As for the guy I tried to patch up…" I sighed. "He didn't make it."

I decided not to specify with "head crushed underfoot".

"O-Oh…" The princess looked down, shocked. But… _not_ as shocked as anyone her age ought to be. With the raiding Faceless and the war going on, a lot of Hoshidans had been getting killed or injured. Perhaps she'd tried to save them. Perhaps she'd succeeded for some…and failed for others.

I pulled the pants leg back down. "My days on the battlefield were over. No question. But, I chose to stay on anyway. I guess I couldn't let go of wanting to help people _some_ how."

Setting the chair aside, I gently put my hand on her shoulder. Sakura looked up at me, with an air of surprise.

"I'm telling you this, Princess," I said, "because _already_ , I'm seeing a bit of myself in you. Difference is, you've still got both legs. Still physically healthy. So when you're out on the battlefield, try not to risk your life the way I did. Can't heal anybody out there if you're also dead."

"Sir, please step—ah, wait…you're with Princess Sakura, right?"

Hm?

"That's correct, sir," responded a new voice at the entrance way. "Is she in the infirmary?"

"Yeah, she got in a few minutes ago." The right-hand guard turned back towards us. "Princess Sakura? These two friends of yours?"

The pink-haired girl turned to face the entrance and gasped in surprise. "O-Oh, Subaki! Hana!"

At the door was a tall man with close-to-flawless skin and dark-red hair tied back; and a woman about Sakura's age, with a headband keeping her light-brown curtains out of her eyes.

Ah, the princess's retainers.

The young lady on the right frowned at her liege. "There you are, Lady Sakura! We were worried sick!"

"I-I'm sorry, Hana," Sakura sighed, bowing. "Did I make you panic again?"

"Panic? We were looking all over the place! Even Subaki was starting to sweat!"

"S-Sweat? Hana, are you sure these strange lanterns weren't tricking your eyes?"

I stared at Subaki—props to him for not physically drawing attention toward this damp brow—before stepping forward. "Whoa, whoa, before you start disagreeing—" I gestured around me. "—Hospital wing. Injured people. Save the loud noises for outside. Doctor's orders."

Judging by their faces, they understood immediately.

"Ah—right. Sorry about that," said Hana, bowing immediately and coming up fast.

"We'll, ah, see ourselves out. For your patients' sake, Doctor," Subaki said, following suite, albeit a bit slower. More practiced.

Princess Sakura then turned to me and bowed again before leaving with her retinue.

When she looked back from the entrance, I gave her a wink.

* * *

I know. We can't just enlist the royalty of a foreign world to patch up _our_ soldiers. For Princess Sakura's case, we'd have to take it up with Prince Ryoma—and right now, he's like as not to fry us "enemy soldiers" with lightning. Asking Prince Kamui would be more logical—she chose to join him, after all—but it still feels like cheating.

Dammit… I'll have to talk to the Commander first.

* * *

"Immediately, I recognized her…" - One of our priorities is to NOT get the royals of Hoshido and Nohr killed. King Garon is…a _tad_ lower, understandably. That's why the Ashen Wolves provided us all with pictures of these HVIs (including royalty, retainers, etc.)—it certainly won't help Kamui's battle against the below if we mess things up with the two kingdoms. —Burna

"Unspeakables" - Nice save, Trey. —Blu

"…strange lanterns…" - It took me a second to realize he meant the fluorescent lights hanging overhead. I guess they _would_ look strange. …The lights, I mean. Not what the Hoshidans were wearing. —Dr. Quint

* * *

 **Author's Note** : _Non sequitur_ incoming—Yes, I _am_ still irked by the English translations of _FEF_. It's certainly not _Persona 5_ level—or hell, even _Fire Emblem Awakening_ , at the very least. It's gonna be tough working around the stuff they handled with a goddamn sledgehammer, not a scalpel.

On a heavier note, my thoughts go out to everybody affected by the recent Manchester bombing in the UK, and the ongoing Marawi attack in the Philippines. I doubt you can hear me, but I'll say it anyway: You're stronger than them. Remember that.

—017Bluefield


	19. A Matter of Morale

**Author's Note** : Sorry for not updating. A lot of stuff happened, but I'm back with something that I had in the works for a while. Hope it makes up for it.

Also—welcome back, smile. :)

* * *

"A Matter of Morale"

Vespyr

Military District (East), Fort Devas, Astral Plane

* * *

From the bench, their sparring match was still going on. But I wasn't really minding it. I was a bit busy talking to the man standing in front of the bench, about a metre to my right.

"A concert?" Ryoma repeated, the astral sun lighting up his looming figure.

"Yeah," I nodded. "I mean—you've noticed, right? Lotta people around here are getting worn out from all this fighting. Even the SAF-types are getting frazzled. They need something to break the monotony—anything that _isn't_ a fighting tournament."

 _THWACK! THWACK THWACK! THWACK!_ Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Silas and Hana clashing _shinai_ once again. Not out of bad blood, mind you; they already took care of that way before we all made the descent. No, they were doing it out of good habit. No One else better to improve with than your friends and peers, right?

The samurai prince nodded slowly. "I can see the benefits to hosting one," he said, raising a hand to his chin (armor) thoughtfully. "Though, I'm surprised to hear that the soldiers at Deva Station are getting demoralized."

I sighed. "Why wouldn't they? They never wanted to get involved in this war, but hey—bad things happened. Even if they can easily outpace any army under your sun, they're on their own out here."

"Ah…true. I suppose there is that."

"Well, we gotta make the best of it, right? Now," I shifted in my seat, "we're probably gonna hold the concert in the park. Or the Arena. Once we decide and get everything set up, all the soldiers and refugees can stop by." Out of the corner of my eye, Silas was pushing forward.

Ryoma raised an eyebrow. "What sort of music are you going to perform? I'm vaguely familiar with opera, though I doubt that's what you're going to perform."

I nodded. "Opera, huh…?"

Without meaning to, my thoughts drifted back to the Nestrian opera house.

I shook my head to get the bad memories out of my head. "Well, we don't really _have_ opera in our repertoire. What we do have will certainly be outside of what you're used to."

"A recurring theme, I've noticed." Ryoma's brow furrowed slightly. "Is something wrong, Vespyr?"

"Huh?" I blinked. "Uh, yeah. Just…thinking, is all." I could see Hana standing her ground, slowly pressing back.

The Hoshidan prince studied my face for a second before sighing. "Is it…about what you dealt with…'before'?"

He said it as though it was still a new word to him. Then again…after what we finally showed everybody, I wasn't surprised.

Dealing with alternate realities was a tiring, tiring, tiring process. Luxendarc taught us that _very_ well.

I nodded. "Yeah, it's just… We've had bad experiences with opera houses and losing people."

 _THWACK!_ Hana and Silas both came to a standstill, _shinai_ shuddering against each other.

Ryoma paused before nodding slowly. "I see… Well, it seems like a very good idea. When do you plan on performing?"

"Within three days," I replied. "Just need to decide on the venue and setting up all the equipment. It'll definitely be before the next advance toward Gyges."

Just then, I heard the sound of two bamboo blades falling to the ground. We both looked to see Silas and Hana standing in front of each other, panting heavily. Their _shinai_ were layed out on the dirt, in a light cloud of kicked-up dust.

Turning back to face me, Ryoma nodded. "Well, it at least gives me a reason for Saizo and Kagero to come along and loosen up for a day. I'll let them know later, so that they don't misconstrue what you're doing until then."

"Roger that, Your Highness."

"Lord Ryoma!" called a voice from the training square. "Would you care to spar with us?"

He turned to face the speaker, smiling. "Of course, Hana."

I looked down at my ZeroDrive, and felt my stomach organ drop at the time. "Oh, whoops—I better get going. We still need to work out the venue."

Ryoma glanced at me. "Ah, right. Dreyza will let us know when you're ready?"

"Yep. Don't worry; I think you'll appreciate at least half of what we have on the playlist."

* * *

As I walked off, I glanced back as Ryoma and Hana started sparring, Silas observing from the sidelines. I smiled at the sight, but that smile went sour when another memory—a certain act of _seppuku_ —imposed itself over Ryoma's profile.

Shaking my head, I sighed and walked off.


	20. Practice for the Four of Deaths

_**WARNING** : Some strong language_

* * *

"Practice for the Four of Deaths"

"Night [ REDACTED ] of 36", [ "a.2012" ] - [ Time Redacted ]

017 "Bluefield"

"Naha Main Place"

"Naha", "Okinawa", "Japan", "Earth"

* * *

We were in the second-floor arcade, past the grabber machines, when Mikoto spoke up. "This is…"

I turned around. "Hm?"

The sweater-clad queen was staring at a light-gun arcade game on the left. Emblazoned above the screen was a familiar logo with a big red _4_ drawn in blood.

 _ **The House of the Dead 4**_

I glanced at it again before looking at Mikoto. "Yeah, it's a game where you shoot enemies that appear on the screen. With those toy guns, specifically." I raised one eyebrow. "What about it?"

The queen looked around, as if she'd stolen a cookie from the jar. Then she turned back to me.

"Is it…Is it any trouble for us to play this one?"

Silence.

I shook my head. "Nah, it shouldn't be. Do you want to try it?"

The title sequence was already playing again. Queen Mikoto narrowed her eyes at the giant monster with its oversized tongue. (Come to think of it, it kinda looked like the Faceless.)

Silence smothered by the loud noises of the rest of the arcade. Finally, Her Majesty responded.

"…Yes, actually. Is that going to cause any trouble with…?"

"No, not at all." I nodded. "Okay, then. Wait here a tick. I'll be right back."

Walking off—briefly backwards, to keep one eye on her—I headed for the nearest change machine and slipped in…er…a few thousand-yen bills. Once all the hundred-yen coins were safely tucked away in my cargo pants pocket, I headed back.

Mikoto was busy reading the instructions onscreen when I arrived. Her eyebrows shot up when it told her that she had to shake the gun when an enemy grabbed her, in order to dislodge herself.

"The many diversions that your people have created…" Mikoto murmured. "It's so mind-boggling that they can be _this_ realistic."

I sighed. "Not _my_ people, ma'am."

Mikoto glanced at me and was about to say something—probably about [ REDACTED ]—but she stopped herself. "…no, you're right. My apologies, Bluefield."

I shook my head. "No, it's fine, it's fine. Force of freakin' habit, is all. Have you got down how to operate it?"

"Somewhat. I aim the…toy gun to aim the gun in the game. I pull the trigger to fire at the enemy. I press the button on the side to…erm…"

"Blow stuff up?" I offered helpfully.

"—Oh, be silent."

" _Request denied._ Sorry, though. So, that button's for throwing grenades. And you reload the gun by…?"

"Shaking it?"

I grinned. "Yep. Great. Now, as per _capital punishment_ , practice by aiming at me before we begin."

She actually did a double take at that. "What? Swearing is a capital punishment here?! How—"

 _"That was a joke,"_ I said quickly, cutting that down. "Relax."

"Oh."

I sighed. "Okay, so grab that gun and aim it at me."

Nodding, Mikoto took the light gun by its grip and aimed it at me. "Like this?"

"Yeah, now put your index finger on the tri—no, wrong hand—your gun hand's index finger on the trigger."

She readjusted accordingly. "Okay, and I shoot by…" _Click._

I nodded. "Yep. Just remember to aim it— _sorta_ like the _yumi_. Basically, it's shoot, reload, repeat. Not literally, of course."

"Right. And when I have to shake an enemy off…what are you doing?"

I stopped pantomiming grabbing someone _à la_ _HotD 4_ , with Mikoto half a meter away from my grasp. "I'm just pantomiming what happens in the game." Then I resumed. "Just shake your gun!"

"Ah, okay!" As soon as she'd gotten a solid second of shaking down, I made an exaggerated show of stumbling backwards, coins loudly jingling in my pocket.

I gave her a thumbs-up. "Okay, I think you're ready."

"All right, then." But then Mikoto frowned. "How much change did you make, anyway?"

"Eh, enough." Pulling out a few hundred-yen coins, I slotted them into the arcade machine. "All right, let us defend ourselves from some digital enemies."

Mikoto stepped to her side. "Without fearing for our lives, of course. Right?"

"Yep." I picked up the other gun. "No need to call emergency services. Or running away screaming."

And that's how we started playing _The House of the Dead 4_ on that day of the simulation.


	21. Trust Issues, Naturally

**Author's Note** : Sorry, short one this time!

* * *

"Trust Issues, Naturally"

Dreyza

Commercial District (West), Fort Devas, Astral Plane

* * *

I sighed as I came to a stop behind the weapon store. "…I know that's you, Saizo-san."

It was still hard to discern, but I could make out the sound of a pair of feet landing directly behind me. "Very sharp of you," the ninja said. "Kamui took longer to catch on."

I turned around to find him leaning against the back wall, examining his _shuriken_ , as if he'd always been there. I said, "I see. So, what brings you here?"

Sheathing his blade, Saizo left the wall and approached me. "I just gave your elder brother a warning," he responded, his clear eye fixed right at me. "The same one I'm going to pass on to you: I don't trust you."

I scratched the back of my head. "Nothing new. Of course no One trusts us."

I mean, _you_ try interfering with a decisive battle, thus becoming a fellow fugitive of Hoshidan and Nohrian royalty.

Saizo narrowed his eye. "Ah, but you and yours are a special case, aren't you? First, strange creatures begin indiscriminately attacking innocent people. Then a strange man appears, offering his expertise on the matter to Lady Mikoto. Finally, after a series of events, her son is finally returned to Hoshido—with another foreigner tagging along. Considering everything that followed, it's strange that a group of outsiders would be interested in our world's affairs."

I pressed my lips. "We all have personal reasons. And before you accuse us of bringing the monsters here, let me ask you: why would we want to make _our job harder?_ "

"Oh, don't worry," Saizo said, crossing his arms. "Bluefield _kindly_ posed the same question to me. Damn fool had to have a point…"

I blinked. I figured that Blu must've annoyed Saizo while he was stuck at Shirasagi, but this…?

"Regardless, Kamui and his army risked their lives for ours. I won't soon forget that boy's willingness to put his life on the line."

Then—with a faint _whoosh!_ —Saizo was directly in front of me, his visage a pace away from mine. I did my best to not recoil.

"However," he growled. "he still has a long way to go before he earns my complete trust. And that's to say nothing of you, your fellow 'Ashen Wolves', _or_ your friends in that massive metal 'platform'. Which brings me to my warning."

Deciding not to interrupt, I nodded.

"I do not claim to know who you are or where you came from," Saizo said, his damaged glare still boring into me. "But if I find that you are a greater threat to Hoshido than this 'true enemy' Kamui mentioned, I will not hesitate to strike you down. That I swear. Are we clear?"

Another nod. "As crystal, sir."

"Good." With that, the red ninja turned away and walked off, leaving no footprints in the dirt as he went.

As soon as he turned the corner (probably off to keep an eye on Kamui), I strode away, exhaling the breath I didn't know I'd been holding as I walked off to think about what just happened.

 _Well, at least that's that…_

* * *

 **Author's Note** : My thoughts go out to the innocent people caught up in the fiasco at Charlottesville, Virginia.


	22. Not As Successful This Time

"Not As Successful This Time"

Trey

Transit District (South), Fort Devas, Astral Plane

* * *

There was a deathly silence in the building.

I looked at Kamui, incredulous. _"Why did you do that?"_

At the doorway stood Bluefield, his expression literally unreadable. Well, I guess yours would be, too, if you'd been pied in the face with a pie tin filled with whipped cream.

The dragon prince looked at me. "I…thought that was some sort of tradition among you guys…" he said, embarrassed. Behind me, Vespyr snickered quietly.

Dreyza sighed. " _Ohh,_ okay."

The tin still stuck to his face, Blu held up one finger—as if to say _Hang on a sec, you goofballs_ —before walking off, likely to find a towel or something.

Dreyza looked over at Vespyr. "…Really, Ves?"

"Oh, come on—we still needed a good old laugh, didn't we?" Vespyr did dip her head in mild shame. "I guess that was a bit…much, though."

"Well, it _was_ pretty funny…" Kyoku admitted.

Dreyza rolled her eyes. "Yeah, that's certainly _one_ way of springing a surprise party. Doesn't mean he'd've liked it."

Kamui looked at her, worry clearly overwriting his embarrassment. "Er, I'm…not in trouble with Bluefield, am I?"

"Nope," said a voice from the doorway.

Kamui (and EveryZero, of course) turned to see that Blu had come back. The pie tin was gone, the cream all wiped off. There was just a trace of whipped cream on the collar of his shirt. His glasses gave us a clear view of the eyes that…um…beheld us in mild annoyance.

He continued. "I take it His Highness fell for being part one of Vespyr's pranks?"

"Yes, he did. Sorry about that, B."

Kamui bowed low. "I'm sorry, Bluefield… I should have sensed something amiss with Vespyr's request."

"Oh, no no, it's fine." Then he looked above us. "Though, I do have to wonder: did we really have _that_ in the [ REDACTED ]?"

All bodies present glanced up at the banner hung from the ceiling, in colorful letters:

 _ **HAPPY BIRTHDAY!**_

"Uh, yeah," Dreyza said. "Had to dust it off, but it does the job. …Happy Birthday, bro."

Blu did a double take. "Wait… you mean—"

"The [ DATA CORRUPTED ] July. Ten days after Prince Kamui's birthday," Kyoku responded. "We figured we'd do one for you as well, after…everything."

He was taken aback. "Ah…right." Then he chuckled, a sound of self-derision. "Huh… You guys really went out of your way…"

Then he did something I hadn't seen him do in a long time. He took his glasses off…to wipe the tears forming at his eyes.

Hesitantly, I took one step toward him. "A-Are you okay?"

Bluefield looked at me, tears tracking his face. "Y-Yeah," he managed. "I just… You guys…"

Dreyza walked over and gave him a hug, patting his back. I followed, holding both of them as Blu started to sob. Vespyr followed, her expression briefly remorseful. Even Kyoku, who rolled his eyes, joined the group hug with half-hearted begrudgingness.

There we Zeros stood for a moment, as Blu clung onto us, quietly crying.

Then he looked up past me, and the spell broke. He kept his hand on my shoulder, and Dreyza's. "Bit awkward…?" he croaked.

I turned. Kamui's smile faded somewhat. "O-Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt by…standing here."

Vespyr laughed. "Don't worry about it, Your Highness. We're used to that kind of thing."

Bluefield put his glasses back on and cleared his throat. "Well, uh, I'm assuming you didn't just decorate this room and call it a day?"

"Of course not," Kyoku retorted. "We—well, I—made the birthday cake. Didn't let the usual suspects anywhere close." (I sighed, dropping my head…not literally.)

Blu smiled anyway. "I'm sure it'll be delicious. Hey, Kamui—wanna join in on this cake?"

That took Kamui aback. "Huh? Oh, no, there's no need. Seeing this is… This is enough for me."

"You sure?" Dreyza asked. "We do have a few birthday traditions we can show you—nothing too messy, of course." (Vespyr scratched her head in embarrassment.)

Kamui glanced at Blu, who nodded. The prince sighed in defeat, although he was smiling. "Well, if you're okay with having me around…sure."

I glanced over at Bluefield, who caught my look and smiled. It had been a rare sight in recent terms, that. When we all met up again on that field. When Kamui started amassing allies from across the continent. When Prince Ryoma and Prince Xander finally shook hands. Kamui's birthday. Today.

It's not quite the same as with Dreyza, but it's little things like that that remind me why we keep going. That in the end, even if we don't matter, it _will_ be worth it.

Vespyr clapped her hands, grinning. "Alrighty, then! Let's get this thing going, shall we?"

"Yeah!"

* * *

"Not As Successful This Time" - Also abbreviated as NAST-T in English! —Noan

* Noan. Would you _get the hell out._ —Dreyza

"begrudgingness" - Yes, I know. Still need work. —Trey

* * *

 **Author's Notes** : My thoughts go out to everybody suffering from Hurricane Harvey.

And as late as this is, I feel I should say this now rather than never: _52 65 73 74 20 69 6e 20 70 65 61 63 65 2c 20 4d 72 2e 20 42 65 6e 6e 69 6e 67 74 6f 6e 2e_


	23. An Old Friend

**Author's Note** : Not sure if I did this one justice, but I hope you like it!

[ _**WARNING** : "Canon Divergence" phenomena detected_ ]

* * *

"An Old Friend"

Trey

Commercial District (West), Fort Devas, Astral Plane

* * *

"Ah, _there_ you are."

I looked up to find a familiar set of twintails standing in front of me. My mouth opened before I could stop it. "Se—mmph!"

 _"Shh!"_ Already, she'd clamped one gloved hand over my mouth. "Not out here—c'mon."

Her other gloved hand guided me behind the store next door. From the corner of my eye, I could see her glancing behind her.

As soon as we were out of sight from the main street—and the castle—Selena let go, leaving me to rub my mouth.

"…Ow," I mumbled.

She looked at me. "Sorry about that, I had to get us somewhere out of the way," she said. "Don't want this happening in public."

I stopped rubbing. "What happening in public?"

"First things first,"—and here, she pointed her finger at my nose—"what's my father's name?"

I blinked. "Your…" Then it clicked. I knew what she meant.

I told her her father's name. She seemed satisfied by my answer.

"Okay, then," I said. "Your turn. What's my mom's name?"

She raised an eyebrow. Then she said, "You don't…have a mother. Your guardian's name is Miriam. Right?"

We stared at each other for a few seconds. A cicada creaked somewhere nearby.

I sighed. "Okay, then. That means there's one thing for me to do."

"For you?" Her eyebrow went up a little further, if you can believe it. "And that would be…?"

I didn't say anything. I just pulled her…

"Whoa!"

…into the biggest hug I can remember giving anybody. A waterfall of red hair tumbled close to my nose. My chin dipped into her shoulder. But most of me didn't care, at least for a second.

After all, I never thought we'd _ever_ see her again.

After a few seconds, she pulled out of my grasp.

"Gawds, you got stronger, didn't you?" The sarcasm died as Selena—no, _Severa_ —smiled. "But it _is_ good to see you guys again."

"Same here. Now…what in the worlds happened to your _hair?_ " It was a deep crimson, not at all the [ REDACTED ] that I remember. Something about it felt tampered with—and I mean supernaturally. No way it was the magical-hair-dye kind, either.

Severa laughed. "That's part of a long story. Speaking of…I'm betting that hairclip is part of _your_ story, right?"

"Huh? Oh, right…" My hand travelled up to the red-and-neon-blue souvenir. "Yeah, there's definitely a story behind that. Doesn't have anything to do with recent events, though."

"Go figure. So, do you want to tell me how you got here?"

"I…well…" I sighed. "I do, honestly. It's just that it might involve invoking something that'll…cause someOne to evaporate."

Even with the water lapping beneath us, I could practically _hear_ the cogs in Severa's head turning. Understanding brightened her face. "Ah, so you've been there, too, huh?"

"Yeah, we've—" That's when _my_ gears jammed briefly. "—wait a second… Have you gone down there, too?!"

Severa nodded, frowning. "Mm-hmm. Don't worry, I'm not going to let my tongue slip. Although, that _does_ mean we can't talk freely…"

I chuckled. "You should've seen Blu when he learned that. Boy, was he livid."

"I don't doubt that for a second." Beat. Severa nodded. "Okay. How about this: when the time is right, and we can talk, you guys tell me and my friends what you've been up to. We'll do the same."

"Don't worry," I said. "We already promised Kamui that, too."

"Ah, friendly with the runaway prince already?"

I shrugged.

"Kidding, kidding. Don't worry. Although…" Glancing around again, she leaned in to whisper, "Maybe treat my real name like it'll kill you in the meantime, too? Especially around Lady Camilla and Beruka."

She pulled back. I nodded. "Sure thing, 'Selena'."

"So, it's a deal?" She extended her hand.

I took it. "Deal."

* * *

"red-and-neon-blue souvenir" - From New LA, I presume? —Endra

"You should've seen Blu when he learned that…" - Are you still planning to crack that scaly bastard's skull, Bluey? —Noan

* …You really have to ask that? —Blu

* Fair enough. I'm gonna go back down. —Noan

"…when the time is right…" - Everything. Finding Deva Station. The Byakuya campaign. The Anya campaign. This _damn_ war. I'm not going to enjoy it, but we'll have to put up with all of it again. —Dreyza

* * *

 **Author's Note** : If you noticed, I tried reworking Selena's (read: Severa's) character here—not drastically (she's still abrasive at times), but at least to make her more mature and confident than how she's portrayed in _Fates_. Why? Because Selena is _not_ a good _tsundere_ character.

According to YouTuber Syy, a _good_ _tsundere_ character has two things going for them over the bad ones. (Paraphrasing inbound.) First, the _tsun-_ part (the cold and hostile side) is treated as a **character flaw** , _not_ the whole basis of the character's personality. Second, the _tsundere_ character **matures** out of the _tsun-_ part. There's a reason why Rin Tohsaka from _Fate/stay night_ and Nymph from _Heaven's Lost Property_ are considered good _tsundere_ characters: because they are _not_ standoffish for the sake of being standoffish, and they _certainly_ don't let it define and/or grow on their personalities. (If you're interested in learning more, check out Syy's video on _tsundere_ characters—and Nymph—on YouTube.)

Of course, you could argue that Selena's behavior is making up for her insecurities, but you'd think she'd find better ways of coping with that in the time between _Awakening_ and _Fates_. The same for Laslow and Odin, to a certain extent. Not into unrecognizable people—certainly not—but into more compelling characters, and I think that's a shame. This is just a small part of the failings in _Fire Emblem Fates_ , as well as a smaller problem in _Awakening_ : some characters just _don't_ seem to develop _at all_. And while yes, it _is_ a strategy game first (where anyone can and will die) and a character-to-character visual-novel thingy second, the fact is that the team behind _Fates_ missed the chance to build on _Awakening_ 's foundation regarding characters.

Anyway, I know I can't singlehandedly make Severa/Selena a better tsundere character overnight, especially with how she's already portrayed deep in people's psyches. But I hope there's less of the negatives that made her infuriating, and more of something positive that retains some of the original character.

Anyway, that's all from me. Please let me know via review if you (don't) like this Selena better and, most importantly, _why_ you think so. I can't do anything meaningful without meaningful input.

See you around!

P.S.: My thoughts go out to those affected by the Las Vegas shooting.


	24. Minor Repeat

"Minor Repeat"

Dreyza

Arena (Center), Fort Devas, Astral Plane

* * *

 _CLANG! CLANG CLANG!_

"Heh, seems Odin Dark's sharpened his edge since we met last!"

The dark mage smirked as he blocked my next strike. "Not as much as you have, Dreyza of the Ashen Wolves!"

Old memories flooded my mind as we sparred. Meeting him in Valm, fighting alongside him as the others over the course of that invasion, the culture exchange thing we had on occasion…

 _CLANG! SHING-CLANG! CLANG!_

…the sudden clash against the Grimleal, the final battle, our departure…

 _CLANG-SHING- **BAM.**_

"Oof—!" With a painful jolt, I tumbled to the ground, the Arena's safeguards kicking in.

 _ **"The victor is…Odin!"**_ boomed the announcer, not caring about said victor's surprise.

 _Reminisce later, you freaking idiot,_ I chided myself as the world tauntingly spun around me.

"Dreyza!" Footfalls. Odin—no, Owain—came into view. "You all right?"

"Yeah… Sorry, let myself get distracted there." A hand reached out. I took it, and the swordmaster-gone-dark-mage hoisted me up.

"Should we leave it there for today?" he asked, his tunic dampened with sweat.

Honestly, that sounded pretty good to me. "Yeah, actually."

* * *

"Was it about the…'other Nohr' you traveled to?"

I glanced over at him. "Hm? Nah, it wasn't anything _that_ recent."

The mess hall was rather quiet when we popped by, to my surprise. Not that we were complaining; we were just getting some water before we split.

"Really?" Owain looked mildly surprised at that, then pensive. "…Did it, by any chance, have anything to do with a country whose name starts with the English letter 'Y'?"

I looked at him. Thank _goodness_ he was sharp. "Why, yes. I do believe so."

Owain's face lit up in triumph. "Ah, that explains your demeanor before! Thinking about your mission in our world, eh?"

I nodded. "You and the others think about it, too? That world, I mean."

"But of course! It's not something we can easily forget. Although…"

I looked over at him. "Although what?"

Owain gazed at his glass of water, as if awaiting a revelation or some such to form itself from the ice inside. Finally, he said, "…It was only recently that the three of us remembered you. At the exact same time, in fact."

I nodded. "Yeah… Soo, how _did_ it feel? Remembering everything about us, after forgetting?"

Owain looked at me. "It was as if…a group of old friends suddenly came back from the afterlife."

"Okay, so less pleasant than seeing your parents alive and well."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that, Dreyza. It was just…unsettling." With that, Owain looked me in the eye. "You…weren't expecting to run into us again, were you?"

Beat. I sighed and set my glass down. "Honestly? That probably would have been a _good_ thing. It would've meant that you guys would be okay, free to live as you saw fit. Yet here we are, both here through unforseen circumstances."

"Is that what you're worried about? Our wellbeing?"

I looked at him. "Of course! And of _course_ you guys would jump at the chance to save another world that isn't yours. But goddammit, we could've wound up fighting each other on the battlefield, and…and…"

Suddenly, a free hand clasped my shoulder. "Easy there, Dreyza."

I looked over. Owain, giving his best reassuring smile. That helped calm me down.

"…Sorry, just…worried we might get you killed this time, is all."

"I'll refrain from making any jokes about Odin Dark's heroic death, in that case."

"Much appreciated."

Owain grinned. "Don't worry, We'll survive this war, too. And when we're done, we'll be on our way back home. All three of us. That's a promise."

I held up my glass. "I won't be the only Zero holding you guys to that, Odin Dark."

"I would expect nothing less from you and yours, leader of the Ashen Wolves."

 _Clink._

* * *

"And of _course_ you guys would jump at the chance to save another world that isn't yours." - Those three did something selfless. We had, too. But this time around, us Wolves are doing this out of selfishness. —Blu

* * *

 **Author's Note** : Hoo boy, I'm not too happy with this. But the good news is you'll be getting another "Blu and Queen Mikoto tour Earth(?)" chapter pretty soon. Earlier than #30, in fact.

I hope you enjoyed the holidays recently!


	25. It's Not That at All, Your Majesty

"That's Not What We're Dealing With, Your Majesty"

"Night [ REDACTED ] of 36", [ "a.2012" ] - [ REDACTED ]

017 "Bluefield"

[ REDACTED ] Hotel

"[ Unknown City ]", "California", "U.S.A.", "Earth"

* * *

 _ **INCEPTION**_

"Wha—Augh, no! Noo! _NOOO!_ Why would you end it _there?!_ Aaagh!"

To think I'd see the "day" that Mikoto would be reaching toward the screen in anguish, robbed of a decisive ending.

"Geez, will you calm down?" I sighed, glancing up at her from the carpet. "We're still in a building occupied by _other people._ "

"Unnngh…" She flopped back onto the bed, face in her hands. _"Whhhhhy…?"_

We'd decided to spend this one day watching a bunch of movies. We'd only gotten about halfway through the bunch I (somehow) rented from the Redbox. It seemed to have more movies than I figured _would_ be available in the year [ REDACTED ]—probably thanks to Noan's freakery of the simulation again. I also brought some popcorn. Good thing the hotel room has a microwave.

 _Buuut_ that's not important.

We'd just finished watching _Inception_. And much like _12 Angry Men_ before this point, it left its audience with an ambiguous ending. Of course, I didn't know that _Inception_ would elicit a reaction from Mikoto quite like _that_.

I glanced over at her. "You okay?"

Mikoto made a noise that reminded me of a moose in pain…assuming that's what a moose in pain _sounds_ like.

 _Maybe not,_ I guessed.

"Ugggggh…" she moaned, sitting up. "It's just…that—that's _it?!_ We don't know if any of that was real or not?!"

"That's up to the audience," I sighed, getting the DVD case ready. "Nolan himself said so: he wanted everyOne to come up with their own interpretations of the ending."

"…I might have to watch it over again…"

I glanced at her. "You sure you want to? We're about halfway through." I jabbed my thumb at the desk, and the two neat stacks of DVD cases sitting atop it.

The queen's eyes jumped to the desk, then back to me. "Yes, I am very sure."

 _There it is again._ "Well, alright then," I relented. "As you so desire." With that, I dropped the case on the other bed (the one on the right, facing the TV), scooped up the remote, and started jabbing the Prev. button.

As _Inception_ started playing backwards really fast, I peeked into the popcorn bag. "Oh, guess we need another bag." Taking the empty paper bag from Mikoto's bed, I strode over to the entrance, where the microwave cubby thing was, and tossed it (the bag) into the trash can.

 _Beep-Beep-Beep—Beep. Whrrrrrrr…_

As I walked back, Mikoto stared at the screen as the reverse heist played out in…okay, that's enough of that. "…Bluefield?"

I sat back down on the carpet. "Yeah?"

"This…simulation that Noan put us into… Do we have to worry about it killing us?"

"Us? No. You? Doubtful as hell." It didn't take a genius to connect _those_ dots. "…Worried you might die in your sleep? Like they nearly did?" I pointed to Arthur in the hallway scene—which Mikoto seemed riveted to when it was playing forwards.

She nodded once.

"I doubt it. If that bastard _wanted_ you dead, he wouldn't do something this elaborate. My guess, he just wants you to see my home world, and that is… _all_. Even if it _is_ through this…fabricated lens."

"Just like those dreams."

I shook my head. "Not that simple."

The queen gave me a sidelong look. "Why is that?"

"If this simulation were _that_ indiscernible from dreams, we wouldn't be remembering it as well as we have been. This isn't the figment of your brain, and it's definitely not one from my brain organ."

She nodded at that. I guess she stopped finding the Zero's anatomy—the _safe-to-mention-to-humans-at-_ all parts, anyway—to be _that_ strange to hear about. "Even so, part of me can't help but wonder…can I suffer an inception? Even if this isn't a 'true' dream?"

"No," I said firmly. "Whatever Noan did to you won't get you to do anything like that. Even if you did forget in the beginning, that was nights ago. You're in the clear."

Mikoto let out a sigh—of relief, perhaps—and rubbed her eyes. "Well," she finally uttered, "that's reassuring…"

 _Beep! Beep! Beep!_

I started to get up. "I'll get it."

"Oh, no, let me," Mikoto interjected, on her sock-covered feet. "Just tell me when the movie's ready to play after the rewind's done."

"Well, I…could've just gone to the scene select, but okay, sure, I'll do that."

* * *

"[Christopher] Nolan" - Did Queen Mikoto confuse "Nolan" with "Noan"? —Trey

* Not a lot. —Blu

"I didn't know that _Inception_ would elicit a reaction from Mikoto quite like _that_." - For context, I also showed her the old " _Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat_ " (a.k.a. _Train Pulling into a Station_ ) movie. She actually though the train was about to _run her over_. I tried not to bust up laughing when she jumped out of her seat. Key word being _tried_. —Blu

* Did she chew you out for that? —Trey

* No. She laughed pretty soon afterwards, actually. —Blu

"Nolan himself said so:…" - Well, I don't have the exact quote on me, but I'm pretty sure he didn't say it the way we Zeros do. I'm pretty sure, anyway. —Blu

"This…simulation that Noan put us into…" - So, you and the late queen had to deal with _this_ every night? For 37 nights? Even though you were cooped yourself up in that shack at night? —Endra

* Eh, give or take one or two nights. But yeah, pretty much. —Blu

* Sheesh… Sometimes I wonder how that interdimensional prankster gets ideas like this. —Endra

Last line - Brain organ farts. (-_-) —Blu

* * *

 **Author's Note** : If anybody's wondering if there will be an affair between Blu and Mikoto, let me clear it up for you: _**No.**_ There won't be one. And if the threads of one ever _do_ come into view, I can assure you that Blu will _not_ be okay with it. At f**king all.

Also, non sequitur incoming: Pink Darth Vader. I'm sure Anna would be _appalled_ by what EA did.


	26. More MREs for Breakfast

**Author's Note** : I don't think I've done one of these solely-OC-centered drabbles in a while, so here you go!

 _ **WARNING**_ _: Some strong language_

* * *

"More MREs for Breakfast"

Trey

Residential District (North), Fort Devas, Astral Plane

* * *

Vespyr took another bite from her chicken sandwich pouch-thing and made a face. "Shit," she muttered. "How did I forget how _bad_ this stuff tastes?"

I looked up at her. "You, too?"

Blu tried not to gag on his beef sandwich pouch-thing. "Well, it's, uh… _edible_ , at least," he conceded, unscrewing his water bottle and chugging some of that down to wash out the taste.

I winced when he said that, remembering Felicia's… _attempt_ …at cooking yesterday.

"Yeah, but…I'd kill for some bloody decent bread, or even rice!" Ves lamented.

Dreyza and Blu glanced at each other from across the blanket. "I know that," the former said. "But we're just gonna have to wait until this fort's got farmable land. And _also—_ "

"Ah, right, sorry." Vespyr held up her hands. "I'll just…get back to eating this… _thing_."

All the while, Kyoku looked on, mildly amused, his own beef sandwich pouch-thing almost forgotten in his hands.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Hm? Oh, just…enjoying something that isn't the crap food."

"Ah, okay."

All "five" of us were having breakfast in the shadow of the castle. Of course, without a ready food source (you know, the source that _isn't_ the Silver Sparrow's soda stash), we had to resort to MREs from Deva Station. (Some cooking from yesterday may or may not have spurred that decision.)

In a few hours, we were going to head out with Kamui and the others to Fort Jinya. To convince the Hoshidans—well, _try_ to—that this war was a distraction from the real enemy. (An enemy that nobody can even _name_ out loud, which was frustrating.)

Of course, we had our doubts about whether they would be willing to listen, fighting or none thereof—and it wasn't just because of the speak-not curse. Blu had effectively become a traitor for "abandoning Hoshido after Queen Mikoto's death", a thought he found understandable but still irritating. And if what Dreyza and her group had told us about the Anya campaign was anything to go on, Kamui would likely meet some strong resistance.

It still felt surreal—us talking like this again. Months ago, half of us had fallen into one timeline, the other half into another. And now, here we are. Reunited in the third timeline. Talking about what happened in different versions of the same world.

I hated that it happened, but…now wasn't the time to fume.

"Sooo…" Vespyr started, once she'd gotten the last of the sandwich down her throat. "Fort Jinya."

Dreyza sighed. "Yeah." She turned to face Bluefield and I. "Any idea what'll be there?"

Blu wiped his mouth with a cloth napkin. I wasn't sure if the grimace he had was from breakfast or the topic. "Wounded from the initial battle," he said. "And lots of them."

Fishing out my iPod, I tapped the screen for the photo gallery. Then I showed Dreyza the photo I'd taken. "These are from when we first arrived in Prince Corrin's timeline."

She took it and stared at the photo. Then she handed it to Kyoku. His face fell, but he looked at Bluefield. "So…right after the flux point?" he asked, while Vespyr looked over at it and winced.

"Yeah. Right after the prince chose to side with Hoshido."

Kyoku nodded before handing the iPod back to me. "Well, in our case, by the time Princess Corrin and company got there, we met an entire defensive troop," he recalled. "They employed other defenses, too, like barricades and puppets."

"Puppets. Oh, joy." Blu shuddered. "Well, not sure if they got any of that ready yet _this_ time around. We hadn't seen any then."

"But at least now, it's highly likely that Fort Jinya's still gonna have wounded soldiers there, with their fittest soldiers stationed to guard 'em," Dreyza surmised. "Assuming that, if Kamui, Azura, two Nohrians, and four foreign soldiers show up while they're still licking their wounds…"

"They'll just see hostiles," I finished. "Targets for their anger." Because of course they would. And really, could we blame them?

I looked at Dreyza. "Burna and Kamui… Should we tell them?"

Dreyza sighed, rubbing her eyes from over her eyelids. "Yes, we should," she decided. "Thing is…we have to convince Burna and her squad to hold off on lethal force."

Blu raised an eyebrow. "That shouldn't be difficult."

"Yeah?"

"Well, aside of what we brought, I think our quarry might have just what we'll need to just to keep it non-lethal," the Zero replied, nodding in the direction of Deva Station. "Unless we want to stick around all day and make sure the Hoshidan soldiers' legs don't get lead poisoning?"

Kyoku rolled his eyes. "Pretty sure legs aren't the _only_ things that suffer that—but yeah. I get it."

I stuffed the last of my MRE sandwich pouch-thing (which was minuscule, thankfully) into my mouth, while grabbing the trail mix pack that came with the meal. _At least_ these _'re still better…marginally,_ I thought as I stuffed it into my jacket pocket.

"So, we all in agreement?" Dreyza asked.

"Yeah." "Roger." "Mm-hmm." "Yep."

I stood up. "Here, why don't you guys go on ahead? I'll clean this up."

"Whoa, no way," Dreyza replied. "All Ashen Wolves are pitching in to this."

Beat. I grinned. "Right."

Blu shrugged as he stood up. "Sure, why not?"

"Hey, so," Vespyr asked as she gathered up her wrappers, "how much you wanna bet that Felicia's still the only One _not_ struggling to eat one of these… _things?_ "

"I'unno. Not in the mood for _that_ , anyway."

Kyoku sighed as he looked at me. "Well, shame the MREs won't be the _worst_ modern-day horror we'll all be suffering."

"Yeah…" If only _that_ could be true.

* * *

"… And _also—_ " - Bad time to make a killing joke. —?

"And if what Dreyza and her group had told us…" - Her "group"? Not squadmates? Am I missing something? —Skelena

* Ah, right, you weren't with us then. Blu, Trey, Burna, and Riad wound up in one timeline of this world; Ves, Kyoku, Seo, Streyd, and myself wound up in another timeline of said world. We're just using terms like "Blu's group" and "Dreyza's group" so that we don't have to list out every One and Zero involved _every. Single. Time_ we have to talk about that. —Dreyza

* …you're _really_ mad about this, huh? —Skelena

* Oh, big time. —Dreyza

"Well, I think our quarry might have just what we'll need…" - How'd the recovery mission get this far off the rails, anyway? Was Deva Station really _that_ hard to track down? —Skelena

* Well, there were a lot of factors that complicated this. Interdimensional interference with the SOS signal, the signal not being detected for four years, us losing track of our vehicles until we arrived in the third timeline, and the kind of luck that makes Arthur look _blessed_ by comparison.  
Arthur. Blessed.  
Arthur. _**Arthur.**_ —Blu

"Well, shame the MREs won't be the _worst_ modern-day horror we'll all be suffering." - Yeah, definitely worded that slightly wrong. I forgot about the bloody tactical robots on Deva Station. They're not exactly "modern-day", right? —Kyoku

* But they're not _horrors_ , are they? Just…alien to the locals. —Trey

* And pretty frickin' weird to me. —Blu

* Ah, right, good point. "Slightly-ahead-of-modern-day wierd things", then. —Kyoku

* * *

 _Do not go gentle into that good night._

 _Rage, rage against the dying of the light._

—from the works of Dylan Thomas


	27. I Really Look The Part, Huh?

_**WARNING** : Some strong language_

* * *

"I Really Look The Part, Huh?"

Kyoku

Residential District (North), Fort Devas, Astral Plane

* * *

I leaned back as Oboro took a closer look at my face. "Er, what is it?"

After a few seconds, the naginata wielder drew back in what I could swear was disbelief. "Holy crap, you really _do_ look like a Hoshidan."

"Yeah, you're not the first person to tell me that."

"No, I mean—when Bluefield came to Shirasagi, a lot of people were shocked that he looked half-Hoshidan. A few nobles kept harassing him just because of that. You, on the other hand…I'm sure those nobles wouldn't bat an eye around you."

"Moot point now," I sighed. "There's a bloody war going on." Plus, I wasn't keen on meeting some asshole aristocracy, but that probably wasn't the right thing to say.

Oboro rubbed the back of her neck—just like Takumi did, rarely. "Fair enough," she conceded. "So, what's it like?"

I looked at her, confused. "What's what like?"

"Having Hoshidans look at you, treat you like an outcast. It can't be easy."

 _Ah, that._ I shrugged. "It's…marginally better than being ignored, I guess. Which is…every job we've had until this one, actually."

Oboro raised one eyebrow, but didn't pursue that thread. Instead, she switched lanes. "So, why are you guys fighting to end this war? I'm sorry, but…I just can't see how you guys benefit from interfering."

I scratched my head, trying to disperse the memory of the other Oboro's death.

"It's…complicated," I said finally. "But I promise that when the time comes, we'll tell you why we came to your world."

"You're not really giving me much confidence in you, you know?"

The image of Oboro falling to the ground, bleeding, resurfaced. I looked down. "Comes with not being Hoshidan, I suppose."

Oboro shook her head. "No, no way. Race has nothing to do with this, does it?"

I glanced up at her. Her gaze was hard, but not twisted. "No. Not at all."

* * *

 **Author's Note** : Happy New Year!


	28. Untitled

_**WARNING** : Slightly graphic descriptions_

* * *

"[ Untitled ]"

Dreyza

Residential District (North), Fort Devas, Astral Plane

* * *

I sat back, wiped my forehead off with the back of my hand. "There, that oughta do it," I said to nobody in particular as I started cleaning up the medical supplies.

Yeah, I've said this before, but: thank goodness there's a large space behind the stables, and one with decent cover from the rain. Sure, the horses would be a little nervous, but GreyScale wasn't interested in horses.

Considering how badly he'd been injured, the poor guy wouldn't be moving too much to bother them, anyway.

GreyScale's new bandages were already darkening again. The thorn wounds in the base of his neck were still healing, but slowly. His wings and forelegs were still sporting the scars of a hundred cuts. His tail, normally a lazily swinging metronome, was just limp to the side. His mouth was slightly ajar, a pained breath rasping from behind his fangs.

He couldn't even muster a line of smoke. His eyelids squinted, then relaxed, as he tried to rest.

I hesitantly reached out to Grey's snout, laden with more bandages, before pulling back. _Now's not a good time for that, idiot,_ I chastised myself.

"Oh my gods… What happened to him?"

The voice behind me caused me to turn like a gunshot. "Oh, Princess Camilla…"

Sure enough, the eldest princess of Nohr was standing behind me, under the canopy. Her hand fell from the post it was pressed against as she stepped forward, towards GreyScale. Three words could describe that expression on her face: shock, and empathy.

Having a wyvern as her loyal steed probably helped.

The dragon cracked one eye open, not making a move at the new presence. With a flameless sigh, he went back to sleep.

"I've just finished with GreyScale's bandages," I said quietly, straightening up, medbag in hand. "That damn Umbral…really did a number on him."

"So this poor thing…he's your friend?" I could practically hear her wincing at the sight.

I nodded.

"I see… I was wondering why you were behind the stables for hours at a time." She gazed over GreyScale's beaten form, wincing. Camilla, _wincing_. "You poor thing… You attacked that giant monster that day, didn't you…?"

His head shifted. Perhaps he wasn't all that asleep.

"Kyoku and I, we've…been taking turns," I managed. "Poison's already flushed out. Now, it's mostly a matter of letting him rest, recover, regrow. GreyScale's more than earned it, anyway."

"Is this all you've done, though? Bandages, leeching out poison, keeping him warm with that…strange metal box?" (She probably meant the heating unit, which was pulling double duty in _and_ behind the stables.)

"It's all we _can_ do, Princess," I sighed. "Any more than this, his recovery will slow down. He _needs_ time to himself." I looked over at her. "Besides, hugging an injured beast is a _terrible_ idea, friend or not."

Camilla sighed. "Well…when you put it like that, I suppose I can't argue with you." She turned to me. "So, what were you planning on doing after this, Dreyza?"

"Ah, getting this"—I patted the medbag—"back to our ship. I should be free after that. Why?"

"Well, I was thinking… Since we're going to be working together from here on out, we should probably get to know each other off the battlefield." Camilla tilted her head to the side, her friendlier smile breaking the discomfort of the sitch, if barely. "So why not talk over a cup of tea?"

Tea with Princess Camilla?

…well, it _has_ been a while. Not that she'd know that. "Sure, I'd be honored."

 _Rrrrrrr…_ Like an ocean wave, GreyScale let out a low growl, his mouth slid closed. One eye sluggishly glanced between Camilla and myself.

"It's all right, Grey," I said reassuringly, so as not to hurt his eardrums. "I'll be okay."

To my surprise, Camilla joined in. "Don't worry, sweetie. Auntie Camilla won't hurt a hair on Dreyza's head. I promise."

The dragon stared up at me for a few solid seconds. Then at Camilla. Then at me. Then he _nodded_ , closed his eyes, slowed his breathing.

I straightened up again. "Well, whaddaya know, Princess: he trusts you. At least a little bit."

"Then we should give him the space he needs. Shall we?"

* * *

"That damn Umbral" - Is this the same Umbral that disrupted the battle in the Fields of Hoshido? —[ REDACTED ]

* Not just that. It's the same type of Umbral that we encountered during Byakuya and Anya. —Burna

* But the one that destroyed that field and injured that dragon… If that thing erupts into the astral plane, we're as good as dead. —[ REDACTED ]

* I know, even with the repeller. That's where the Zeros come in. —Burna

* The Zeros? What could they… Ah, right, their isolation. —[ REDACTED ]

* Yeah, that forgetting gets annoying, doesn't it? Believe me, I'm right there with you. —Burna

"Poison's already flushed out." - Here's what we know so far about the Umbral Form that Misfit Squad has encountered: it's a plantlike creature, consisting of one massive central body with several thinner vine-like appendages. Primarily erupts from the ground, gobbling up anything (or anyOne) unfortunate to be standing above it. There's a massive flower-like formation in the central body, with similar (but _much_ smaller) formations growing along the thorny vines; presumably this creature's mouth(s). Arsenal includes "flower heads", vines, natural poison (further analysis necessary). Behavior is childlike, comparable to a kindergartener faced with a choose-one scenario they do not like at all. Name pending. —ARTY


	29. Team-Building Exercises (Part 1)

**Author's Note** : Forgot about a certain princess's birthday. Sorry, Azura! I'll probably remedy that with a fitting birthday Drabble. But for now, welcome to a vignette about a game that requires outside help!

 **Disclaimer** : I do not own _Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes_.

* * *

"Team-Building Exercises" (Part 1)

Dreyza

Residential District (North), Fort Devas, Astral Plane

* * *

"'…Make sure your Experts have the Manual and are ready to help'," Kyoku finished. "Okay—do you guys still have the Manual?"

"Yep," I reported.

"Nope!"

"Do y—" Kyoku stopped and glared over the laptop. "Ves…?"

Takumi and I looked at her, too. "Vespyr?" the prince asked.

"Let me ask again: do you guys have the Manual?"

Vespyr mock-pondered that. "…Maybe." Good grief.

"Oh, for f…"

Takumi sighed. "Yes, Kyoku, we still have the Bomb Defusal Manual. Don't worry about that part."

As Ves pouted, I looked down at the stacks of paper-clipped papers at our hands. My copy was crinkled, having been the one stuffed in Kyoku's backpack. The other copies had been freshly printed from the [ REDACTED REDACTED ].

Kyoku nodded and sat back down. "All right, then." A few seconds later, I heard sipping from a metal container.

Takumi took this opportunity to turn to me. "Remind me again: why _did_ your friend drag me into this?"

I looked at Takumi while Ves stifled a snicker. "What's wrong with team-building exercises? Communication's an important part of any endeavor, not just battle."

"Hence why it's called _Keep **Talking** and Nobody Explodes_ , huh…?" With that, Takumi flipped pages to the first section. "All right, let's do it."

"And remember: if we fail, _you_ guys won't explode. That would be _my_ problem. Okay, Bomb Configuration: Five minutes, three modules, three strikes." Kyoku tapped the trackpad. "Let's go."

* * *

 **"The First Bomb"**

* * *

"Eh, here we are. All right, so the three different modules on the bomb are… There's one with wires, there's one with a big button, and there's one with wierd symbols on buttons."

I already had my copy open to Page 5. "Okay, let's do the Wires first."

"Wires first. There's four of 'em."

"Four wires, so…" My finger slid to the box labeled _4 wires_. "Okay, 'If there is more than one red wire and the last'—"

"There's only one red wire, Dreyza."

Okay, saves him giving the bomb a look over. "'Otherwise, if the last wire is yellow and there is'—no." _One red wire disqualifies that rule._ "'Otherwise, if there is exactly one blue wire'…?"

I'm pretty sure Kyoku shook his head. "Negative."

"'Otherwise, if there is more than one yellow wire'—"

"No yellow wires."

 _Piss._ "Okay, then cut the second wire from the top."

Beat. I looked up at the laptop's cover, anxiety creeping in like the tide.

"Got it!" Brief relief. Kyoku dropped it immediately. "Right, now I have this great big 'threatening' button."

"I'll cover that one, Kyoku." Takumi piped, already on Page 6.

"Yes, please, I don't want to pretend-explode."

"All right, ah… 'If the button is blue and the button says Abort'…"

"Uh, no, it's white."

 _Well, shit._

"Oh. Well…" Takumi immediately jumped straight to the next rule. "'If there is more than one battery on the bomb and the button says Detonate'—oh, man. Is the battery _on_ the button?"

"Oh gods—no—hang on, I'm looking at the casing. Uhhhhhhh…"

 _Tick tock. Tick tock._

"Eh… Four batteries on the bomb!" The archer Wolf reported. "But the button says 'Press'."

"Damn." Back to Page 6 the prince goes. "'If the button is white and there is a lit indicator with label Shi-Ei-Arr…'"

"Wait. Repeat that last bit?"

The prince looked a bit miffed, but he did anyway. Kyoku took a few precious seconds of silence.

"C-A-R… No, that's not the label I'm seeing, it says F-R-K. Also, 3 minutes left."

"Three minutes?! How—wait a minute." _Rustle,_ went the page. Second later, Takumi's face lit up. "Efu-Arr-Kei… Ah, okay! 'Press and immediately release the button.'"

"Press and immediately…"

 _Click._

"Okay, done!" Phew. "Now, last module: it's a two-by-two set of buttons, each one's got a strange symbol on it."

"That's a Keypad module." I looked to my left. "Vespyr, you're up."

"Roger that," she chirped, flipping from Page 5 to 7. "Okay, Kyoku—describe the symbol on each key for me."

"Yes'm. Right, so…" A second of silence. "I've got the English paragraph symbol (I think), there's a smiley face with…a lip ring or a tongue? Maybe a tongue." (Vespyr snorted at "lip ring", but didn't comment.) "There's a pillar with…uh…four tentacles?"

A finger slid to the fourth column on Page 7. "Ah, okay. And the fourth one?"

"It's a—oh what the _hell is_ that? Um, there's a tangle of lines. I can make out a wall…connected to something with an upside-down triangle on top? And a semicircle shape below."

Vespyr's face lit up. "Ah, okay! Kyoku—I'm going to tell you the symbols in the order they need to be pushed. Ready?"

"Ready."

"Okay, paragraph."

 _Click._ "Got it."

"Wall-and-triangle-and-semicircle shape."

 _Click._ "Got it?"

"Pillar with four tentacles."

 _Click._ "And the rude smiley face?"

"Yes."

"Okay—"

…

 _Click._ "There we go. Success!"

Immediately, Vespyr's fists shot upward, relief etched on her face. "Yay! You didn't explode!"

To the right, Takumi exhaled. "Whew, talk about stressful… But I'd be lying if I said helping didn't feel great."

Kyoku sat back in his seat. "Phew… Glad that's over with. That was the _first_ bomb, by the way. The easiest."

"Wh… You sure?" Takumi frowned. "That felt harder than it should've been."

Kyoku looked over the laptop. "Probably just some bad luck. Time remaining was [ REDACTED ], that was our best time. By the way—the bomb modules are randomized every time, so no two bombs in the same challenge will be the same. Dunno what the button might be, or what color the wires are."

Takumi paled at that. "Gods… Are _real-life_ bombs like that?"

"All unique? Maybe. Vulnerable to normal people defusing them? Not likely. I'd leave that to the real explosives experts." Kyoku sat back down. "Oh, well. You guys up for another bomb?"

"Sure," I replied.

"Alright," Takumi seconded.

"Yeah!" Vespyr agreed.

"Roger that. Okay, Section 2: The Basics. Something Old, Something New. Same configuration as before—except for what modules I might get. Let's go."

—

"My copy was crinkled, having been the one stuffed in Kyoku's backpack." - If you're wondering why I didn't have it [the Bomb Defusal Manual] memorized before we played, I didn't because A.) that's not how _all_ Zeros work—they _can_ do a lot of unusual things, but that's pretty much case-by-case—and B.) that would've defeated the purpose of _**Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes**_. —Kyoku

"There's a pillar with…uh…four tentacles?" - … —Kyoku

* … —Dreyza

* … —Vespyr

* … —Trey

* … —Endragon

* … —Skulden

* … —Noan

* … —Enelora

* … —The Author

* …what _are_ you all thinking, anyway? —Kyoku

* That's what I want to know… —Vespyr

* What's going on? —Blu


	30. An Overdue Visit

**Author's Note** : Fitting that the fourth Blu & Mikoto drabble produced would involve death in some form, huh?

* * *

"An Overdue Visit"

"Night [ REDACTED ] of 36", [ "a.2012" ] - 10:39:09

017 "Bluefield"

"[ REDACTED ]"

"Okinawa City", "Okinawa Prefecture", "Okinawa", "Japan", "Earth"

* * *

As a Zero, this would probably be the closest I'd ever get to visiting my human self'[ DATA CORRUPTED ]

Part of me wished I didn't have to bring Her Majesty along for this.

Well. Couldn't be helped, anyway.

Once we arrived, I asked the taxi driver to wait for us. He nodded before opening the trunk, with the shopping bag inside. As I was taking that (and shutting the trunk), Mikoto looked around.

"So…this is a modern Japanese graveyard?" she asked.

"Yeah." I pointed. "That there's the temple, but…that's not what we're here to visit."

"It's not? Then where are we going?"

"To visit a family grave. Follow me."

Turning away from the temple, I headed for the rows of graves, with Mikoto right behind me.

* * *

After a few minutes of walking between the lots and rows of family graves, I came to a halt. "Well…here he is."

Rows upon rows of polished stone, family crests adorning each one. Some were black with white, some were grey with white, some were pinkish with white.

Mikoto caught up, followed my gaze. "…ah."

This particular family grave was the lattermost, color-wise. It was also the only grave with obvious English engraving—at least on the front of the headstone.

 _ **The [ REDACTED ]s**_

I set down the small bucket of water onto the step of the grave, then pulled out the brushes I'd bought from the convenience store. Mikoto immediately understood, taking the other brush; it seemed this was another cultural constant between Hoshido and Japan.

After clearing off the stains from the grave proper, I pulled out the incense sticks.

"You're not going to…breath fire for this?" Mikoto asked as I pulled out a bright-red lighter.

I shook my head. "If this was a dragon's grave, _maybe_. But there's no point wasting it here." _Chk._ "Besides, I'm trying to be as _human_ as I can right now, not an utter freak of nature."

Seconds later, I set the smoking incense into the holder in front of the marble(?) chamber. My human self's memory of Mom scattering Uncle [ REDACTED ]'s ashes at a beach briefly surfaced. I straightened up and, as per tradition, put my hands together.

* * *

 _ **Note** : the following is a transcript of 017 "Bluefield" talking to a virtual-reality reproduction of his human self's family grave. For the sake of protecting the "real counterparts" of the people mentioned, Earth-native and otherwise, names will be either redacted or replaced._

* * *

Hey, Uncle [ REDACTED ]. It's been a while.

Your wife and son are doing well. There was a bit of trouble a few years ago, but uh… [ REDACTED REDACTED ]. They don't remember any of what happened, but…that's the usual for [ REDACTED ]. It's for the best.

Mom and Dad are doing okay. So's Kyler and…and my human self. Your nephews. Kyler's looking to enter [ REDACTED ] State. He might actually get in. I'm really glad for him.

Me, I'm… I'm getting by. Somehow. I've got a new team to look out for now. And right now, we've got an important mission of sorts to take care of. A selfish mission, at that, but…yeah.

Watch over the family, will you? I'll watch over mine.

* * *

With that done, I gathered up everything into the plastic bag just as thunder rolled in the distance. It's be too many kilometers before the rain would snuff out the incense.

Mikoto shouldered her own umbrella. I flicked over my own hood.

"…I'm sorry."

I looked over at her. "For what?"

"Don't get me wrong, I believed you, but… I'd had this lingering doubt in the back of my mind that you were truthful about your…about your human self's family." She looked down. "But…your conversation with [ REDACTED ] has cleared all that doubt about you from my mind."

I thought about that, not saying anything. And I got the slight feeling that Queen Mikoto wasn't _just_ talking about King Sumeragi.

I sighed. "I see."

 _RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE…_

We both looked to the source of the thunder. "It's getting closer," Mikoto noted. "We should return to the taxi. I think that this can wait a moment."

"Yeah."

* * *

As our cab carried us away from the graveyard, Queen Mikoto and I checked the hotel note that had today's (hastily-scribbled-down) itinerary. Since we were nearing lunchtime, our next stop is [ REDACTED REDACTED]. Their _Okinawa soba_ 's pretty good. (Maybe you should give it a try if you ever head for Okinawa Prefecture.)

* * *

"But…your conversation with [ REDACTED ] cleared all doubt about you from my mind." - Whereas showing up at Fort Jinya with the "traitorous prince and princess" intensified Yukimura's doubts in you… F**k. —Burna

"… And I got the slight feeling that Queen Mikoto wasn't _just_ talking about King Sumeragi." - Or just about losing Prince Kamui, for that matter. —?

"…today's (hastily-scribbled-down) itinerary." - Blu's… _ **still**_ not very organized… Not that I can talk. —Dreyza


	31. Sparring Match: Blu vs Kamui (Part 1)

**Author's Note** : AGH SO STUCK ON THIS SERIES HELP ME D:

* * *

"Sparring Match: Bluefield vs. Kamui (Part 1)"

Dreyza

The Arena

* * *

 _Combatant 0: 017 "Bluefield"_

 _Loadout:_

 _* training sword_

 _* ZeroDriver (a.k.a. ZeroDrive, Blu's "dragonstone"/watch)_

 _* hands and feet (and rest of humanoid form)_

 _Combatant 1: Prince Kamui_

 _Loadout:_

 _* training sword_

 _* dragonstone_

* * *

"Alright, Wolves: _I know, I know_ —but it's still for the benefit of the first-timers. Okay, everyOne: this is a sparring match _only_. For Zeros, that means: _no_ Exceed Drives, _no_ Exist Drives, _no_ Phasing in and out of the Grey, _no_ transforming. All that's reserved for the usual prey!"

I paused.

"…Well, unless your sparring opponent can _also_ transform, at any rate," I added. "Right?"

"…right!" Kamui responded first, taking his position across from Bluefield. His dragonstone hung by his side, ready for its master at a moment's notice.

Blu nodded, eyes rolling at the prospect of cheating. "'Course." He strode over to his spot across from Kamui. He has one earbud in, the white cord laced through his shirt's inside. The Hand was off, tucked away in his backpack; it was just an Exist Bracelet on his right wrist.

We'd already tested the Arena's magic twice* before, once with just Zeros (see [ REDACTED ]) and once between Burna and Felicia (see [ REDACTED ]). No need to worry about anybody getting seriously injured, existent or otherwise.

I surveyed the arena. _Okay, Field's active, Blu's EB is on and running, Felicia and Kyoku are on standby…_ "Right, we're ready when you are!"

Both combatants nodded. Blu looked over at Kamui.

"You ready, Your Highness?" he called over.

"Ready, Bluefield!"

"'kay. Oh, and—don't feel like you gotta hold back, just 'cause I'm playing level with you. Got it?"

The prince blinked, but nodded. "Understood!"

* * *

 _Rules:_

 _Three rounds._

 _First combatant to drop to 30% stamina ("HP") loses the round._

 _Safe word, just in case._

 _Zeros: For current opponent, beast transformations and certain Restrained Drives are allowed._

* * *

 **Recommended** : "Vortal Combat" by Kelly Bailey

from _Half-Life 2: Episode Two_ | The Orange Box (Original Soundtrack)

* * *

"Alright, on my mark," I called out. "Three…"

Kamui got into his stance, practice sword behind him. A few recent "real" battles backing him up, including the few he had in his dragon form. Inhale, exhale.

"…Two…"

Opposite, Blu had his back hunched over, sword hand dangling at his side. Years of fighting monsters, walking a thin line over the void. The usual flick of his free wrist.

"…One…"

Blu would (probably) let him win…but not without a hell of a

"…FIGHT!"

Against the force of the callout (hell, what was I expecting?), Blu started walking toward Kamui, practice sword out and wide.

The prince, on the other hand, rushed forward. Taking his advice, I could see.

 _10 meters, 5…_

Twirling it, Kamui started bringing his own sword down—about to hit Blu on the forehead.

Next thing the eye catches is Kamui stumbling, his blow deflected.

Blu turned, sword hand relaxed. "…Ow." Flick of the wrist.

With a swish of wood, Kamui rounded and attacked again. Blu grit his teeth and brought it to bear, glancing the blow away. Then the next. And the next.

 _BAP! BAP-BAP! BAP! BAP! Whoosh! BAP-BAP! BAP!_

Bamboo and wood smacked and smacked and smacked against each other. Kamui put the pressure on however he could—looking for an opening. Blu kept up his defense, somehow: deflecting away one, pseudo-riposting away another.

And then—

 _BAP-BAP—WHACK!_

"Unh!" Next thing I knew, Blu had spun away from Kamui, just barely keeping himself off the ground. Steadying, he looked up, clutching his ribs.

I whistled. "Ooh, blow _right_ under the sword arm! Nice one, Kamui! Now look out!"

"Huh?" Kamui looked. "Oh, _blast—!_ " Fast as thought, he just barely jumped away before Blu's horizontal slash could slap against his rib cage.

The Zero sighed. "Don't get so distracted, Highness. C'mon!" He bolted forward. Kamui barely deflected his next two strikes, then the next three.

 _BAP! BAP-BAP-BAP! BAP!_

From the corner of my eye, I could see Kyoku and Felicia, med-gear ready. Lethal weaponary would be blunted to zero, but practice weapons were completely unaffected by the Arena. If anything worse than bruising came about, it'd be from something sharped than a treated tree branch. Probably a claw or fang.

But not yet. Blu may not be the best swordsman—he'll openly states that as scientific fact—but he makes up for that with brute precision and a Zero's instincts, amped by that one human fear.

Further and further, Kamui was forced back toward the wall. Blu didn't let up. He swung not as a "man", but as a beast. It was a wonder his glasses hadn't jumped off his nose.

And then it happened.

With no pause, Blu swung horizontal—common mistake for others to make. Kamui jumped up—narrowly avoiding the arc of bamboo—and flipped backward. Both feet met the wall, and he jumped forward, left hand back. Before Blu could attack again—

 _WHOOSH!_

He had to step back. You would've, too, if a spearlike appendage shot right at your head.

Changing it back, Kamui used his hand to grab Blu by the coller. Next thing I know, bro's flat on his back, Kamui's back on his feet, anticipating, waiting.

Fast as thought, Blu's charging again. "RAAAAAAAGHHGHAAAA!"

But Kamui's not having it. He dips by and ducks under Blu's next flurry. But Blu's focus isn't broken. He's not guarding. He's not trying to. Kamui takes advantage of it.

 _WHSH! WHSH! WHSH! WHACK! WHSH! WHACK! WHACK! WHSH!_

Taking every chance he can, Kamui lands blow after blow after blow on Blu. Wood strikes cloth, damped by the astral magicks of the battlefield. Blu keeps the prince from getting comfortable in one stance, one place. It's a half-dance, the other a raging void.

 _WHSH—WHACK! WHACK!_

But not for long. Eventually, one more swing from Kamui sends his opponent stumbling back—and, taking a page from the Zeros' handbook, he plants one barefoot right into his ribcage.

 _"Uhnf!"_ With a grunt, Bluefield drops to his hands, moving not an inch further back.

Not that he was going to attack again now.

* * *

 _Kamui: 54%_

 _Bluefield: 29%_

End music

* * *

"Round 1 goes to…Prince Kamui!" I turned. "Okay, medics!"

Immediately, Felicia rushed to Kamui's side, staff at the ready. One gust of air later, he was back in fighting shape. Kyoku did the same for Blu, kit in hand; but upon arrival, he set it down and simply pulled Blu's EB off. Nine seconds later, Kyoku set the EB back and Blu stood up, weary but ready to fight again.

Once the medics were done, they immediately got off the field. Blu picked up the dropped _shinai_ and stepped several paces back toward his starting point. Kamui did the same. His gaze seemed just a bit more awake than at the start.

"Okay," I called out, "sixty seconds until Round 2! Ready up!"

* * *

 **Author's Note** : Been agonizing over this for a while. That was hard to do, with recent events both personal and otherwise weighing on my mind. If there's any constructive feedback that you think I would do well with, feel free to drop it in the reviews. Of course, any requests are also welcome.

So in short: Sorry I kept you waiting, I'll warn you when it happens again (and it will), I need some help, screw a certain article, and I'll see you next time…possibly with the cause for the noise below in tow:

* * *

 _ **rrrrrrrrrRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!**_


End file.
